Former president Jacob Zuma lost his application on Wednesday for leave to appeal a ruling last year that denied his request to have the lead prosecutor in his arms deal corruption trial removed because of alleged bias.

The former president pleaded not guilty in May last year to 18 charges of corruption, money laundering and racketeering emanating from a deal for military equipment, including fighter jets, helicopters, submarines and warships.

The legality of the deal was questioned shortly after it was signed, with critics saying that there was no credible threat to South Africa’s sovereignty to justify the spending.

Two people have been convicted in the matter so far. The then chief parliamentary whip of the ANC, Tony Yengeni was guilty of fraud. He was jailed in 2006, but only served five months of his four-year sentence.

Businessman Schabir Shaik was jailed for 15 years in 2005 for corruption and fraud, but was released on medical parole in 2009.

In 2011, then president Jacob Zuma appointed a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the arms deal and in 2016, the commission decided that no further charges should be laid.

But a week later, the High Court ruled that Zuma should face charges over the deal after the DA intervened in the case. The charges had been dropped just before Zuma became president in 2009.

According to the charges, Zuma received bribes from Thales, a French arms firm, to protect them from any investigation.

Last year, the Supreme Court confirmed that the charges be heard. Zuma now faces various charges of money laundering, fraud, corruption, racketeering. He is also accused of accepting 783 illegal payments.

Zuma blames political enemies in the ANC for his legal troubles.

In his dismissal of Zuma’s bid to have Adv Billy Downer removed, Koen said that it was in the interest of all parties – the accused and the State representing the general public – that the matter be resolved as soon as reasonably possible. He said he found no bias on Downer’s part and added that another court would not reach a different decision.