Former president Jacob Zuma during a court appearance in Pietermaritzburg in 2019. Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
There was yet another postponement on Monday to the highly-anticipated start of the corruption, racketeering and money laundering trial of former president Jacob Zuma and his co-accused, French arms company Thales.
The trial, due to a lack of finality in terms of the pretrial proceedings, was adjourned to May 26, a date on which Zuma and his co-accused are expected to enter their formal plea.
Zuma’s legal team, led by advocate Thabani Masuku, indicated that it would be bringing an application for state prosecutor Billy Downer, to recuse himself from leading the state’s prosecution.
Proceedings are probably heading for postponement because the former president, Accused Number One, is currently without formal legal representation following his team’s withdrawal on 21 April.
Arms deal whistleblowers still want justice, welcome probe into judges
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JOHANNESBURG - WHISTLEBLOWERS and campaigners against the multibillion-rand arms deal have not given up on justice for taxpayers after the Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC) confirmed it was investigating complaints against two judges who probed the transaction.
Whistleblower Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille wants the R137 million spent on the commission headed by retired Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Willie Seriti to be recovered from evidence leaders, the lawyers and investigators it employed.
De Lille, unlike other whistleblowers, former IFP MP Dr. Gavin Woods and Terry Crawford-Browne, does not want the commission to be reinstituted.
In another victory for civil society and accountability, former Minister of Social Development, head of the ANC Women’s League and currently MP, Bathabile Dlamini, has finally coughed up R650,000 in legal costs owed due to her “reckless and grossly negligent” conduct as a Minister.
After three years of giving the Black Sash Trust, represented by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (Cals) and Freedom Under Law (FUL), the runaround Cals announced on 13 May that “we have been gratified to note that in the past two weeks the order has now been complied with and Ms Dlamini has paid our costs”.
The Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC) will meet next month, following a complaint against the two judges who were appointed to preside the Arms Deal Commission, Willie Seriti and Hendrick Musi.