Zuma’s arms deal corruption case postponed

The Pietermaritzburg High Court in KZN postponed former president Jacob Zuma’s arms deal corruption case to August.

Zuma, who is facing fraud and corruption charges in connection with the arms deal procurement programme concluded in the 90s, was supposed to be on trial at the court today.

However, the former president’s trial was postponed to August 15 after it emerged that he has lodged another application seeking the removal of the case’s lead prosecutor, advocate Billy Downer.

Previously, Zuma, who claims that Downer should be stripped of his title to prosecute in the matter on the basis that the senior prosecutor is biased, failed in his attempts to have the courts, including the Constitutional Court, remove Downer.

However, in his latest attempts to have Downer removed, Zuma is arguing that Downer should not be allowed to continue in his lead prosecutor role as the senior prosecutor was facing criminal charges.

Zuma vs Downer

This was after Zuma initiated private prosecution proceedings against Downer after accusing the senior prosecutor of leaking his medical report to News24 senior journalist Karyn Maughan.

However, both Downer and Maughan have made an application for Zuma’s private prosecution to be halted.

According to the duo, the medical report that Zuma claims to have been leaked was already a public document when it was sent to Maughan.

It has also emerged that a member of Downer’s prosecuting team, and not the senior prosecutor, sent the document to Maughan.

Judge Nkosinathi Chili presided over today’s proceedings following the recusal of the previous judge in the case, Piet Koen.