What to know about the long-running corruption case of former South African President Zuma

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Jacob Zuma and his co-accused, the French arms manufacturer Thales, returned to court on Thursday to appeal for the dismissal of the long-running corruption case against them.

Zuma, one of the key figures of the South African liberation struggle who served as president from 2009 to 2018, is accused of corruption in connection with an arms transaction in 1999.

Here’s what to know about the case:

The charges

Zuma faces 18 charges, including corruption, fraud, and money laundering, linked to 783 alleged illegal payments he received from Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) and business owner Schabir Shaik.

Zuma has denied every indictment, saying the accusations are part of a “witch hunt” with political motivations. He is currently fighting to have the charges dropped after pleading not guilty.

Multiple delays

The case has been ongoing for nearly two decades, facing multiple delays including legal challenges by Zuma’s team, which has repeatedly appealed and challenged the charges.

In a potentially groundbreaking development, the National Prosecuting Authority is arguing before Judge Nkosinathi Emmanuel Chili this week that Zuma and Thales should be blocked from using appeals to further delay the trial.

“Our problem is that this strategy has delayed the case for 18 years,” prosecutor Wim Trengove told the court on Thursday. “Mr. Zuma has over the years run eight different interlocutory applications and Thales has been part of four. They have between them delayed the hearing for more than 18 years. All those applications have been dismissed.”

The ex-president’s lawyers have questioned lead prosecutor Billy Downer’s impartiality, leading to additional delays. The former president’s ill health has further stalled the case.

Zuma’s defense attorneys have also contended that without the testimony of two crucial Thales executives in the case — former directors Pierre Moynot and Alain Thetard, who died in 2020 and 2022 — they won’t be able to mount a meaningful defense.

Zuma’s legal woes

Zuma was found in contempt of court by the South African Constitutional Court in 2021 in a separate case. He received a 15-month prison sentence for refusing to testify before the Zondo committee, a judicial commission investigating allegations of corruption during the time Zuma was president.

Zuma surrendered himself to police in July 2021 and was taken to the Estcourt Correctional Center in KwaZulu-Natal province. He was then released on medical parole, but the parole was ruled to be unlawful, and he was ordered back to prison. He was later released from prison after his sentence was commuted.

In October this year, the former president was ordered to pay back $1.6 million (R28.9 million) in legal fees that were unlawfully funded by the state for his personal corruption case defense. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that Zuma must also pay interest on the amount.

Zuma has since been attempting to appeal the judgment for legal fees, claiming he’s not liable.

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This story has been corrected to show that Zuma became president in 2009 not 2008.

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