JACOB ZUMA’s TRIAL POSTPONED

The case against former President Jacob Zuma and French arms company, Thales, has been postponed to 19 July.

The accused face charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and racketeering linked to the infamous arms deal.

The postponement is to allow the State enough time to respond to the former head of state’s special plea application in terms of section 106 of the Criminal Procedure Act.

The postponement in the case involving Zuma and Thales was granted by the Pietermaritzburg High Court after the State revealed that it had received “voluminous” documents from Zuma’s legal team which required time to process.

Zuma’s lawyer, Advocate Dali Mpofu, has shed light on the documents which formed part of Zuma’s bid to have State prosecutor, Advocate Billy Downer, removed from the case on the basis that he filed an affidavit in a case that the Democratic Alliance successfully launched against Zuma.

“Mr Downer SC belongs to the group of people in the NPA that believe that political interference in a prosecution should be tolerated,” Mpofu said.

At the same time, the State has accused Zuma of using delay tactics, saying that his latest court bid dealt with matters that had been previously dismissed by the courts.

But Zuma insisted that he was fighting for his right to be subjected to a free and fair trial.

Both Zuma and Thales have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.