Former South African President Jacob Zuma waits ahead of his court
hearing in Pietermaritzburg, on November 30, 2018. Zuma, 76, who was
forced to resign in February, has been charged with 16 counts of graft
linked to an arms deal from before he became president. PHOTO | ROGAN
WARD | AFP
South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma wants corruption
charges relating to a $2.2 billion arms deal to be permanently set
aside, his lawyers said on Friday, when Zuma made his fourth court
appearance since the charges were reinstated.
Zuma,
who was ousted by the ruling party in February, faces 16 charges of
fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a deal to buy 30
billion rand of European military hardware for South Africa’s armed
forces in the late 1990s.
The case is a rare example of an African leader being held to account for his actions. Zuma denies wrongdoing.
On
Friday, judge Mjabuliseni Madondo adjourned the case to May 20, giving
lawyers time to prepare for a debate on whether there should be a
“permanent stay of prosecution”.
Zuma’s lawyer Mike Hellens said on Friday that state prosecutors had displayed a dismissive attitude towards Zuma.
The 76-year-old Zuma, wearing a black suit and red tie, was subdued in court.
Several former cabinet ministers and African National Congress
politicians travelled to Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal
province, to support their former patron.
Addressing
his supporters after the court appearance, Zuma said he believed the
case violated his rights as a South African citizen and that there were
“many unlawful things” that investigators did.
Zuma said more details would be presented in court.
“We
filed papers telling the court that this case shouldn’t continue, it
should be set aside once and for all,” Zuma told the cheering crowd.
Zuma,
whose nine years in power were marked by economic stagnation and credit
rating downgrades, has previously said he is the victim of a
politically motivated witch-hunt.
The charges against
him were originally filed a decade ago but then set aside by the
National Prosecuting Authority shortly before he successfully ran for
president in 2009.
After his election, his opponents
fought a lengthy legal battle to have the charges reinstated, finally
succeeding in 2016. Zuma countered with his own legal challenges.
The
speed with which prosecutors have moved against Zuma is a sign of his
waning influence since he was replaced as head of state by Cyril
Ramaphosa, his former deputy.
Ramaphosa has made the fight against corruption a priority as he seeks to woo foreign investment and revamp an ailing economy.
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