Johannesburg – South Africa’s graft-tainted former president Jacob Zuma has announced that he is suing President Cyril Ramaphosa over a leaked medical report linked to a 1990s arms corruption trial.
The announcement, made overnight, comes as the ruling African National Congress kicks off a conference on Friday that is expected to re-elect as its party leader Ramaphosa, who is facing a huge cash scandal himself.
Zuma announced that he had launched private prosecution proceedings on Thursday against Ramaphosa, accusing him of being an alleged “accessory” in the leaking of a confidential medical document about Zuma to the media.
Ramaphosa “rejects with the utmost contempt… Zuma’s abuse of legal processes and perversion”, the president’s office said.
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The case is linked to Zuma’s long running but so far unsuccessful campaign to remove prosecutor Billy Downer, who is pursuing the ex-president on corruption charges related to a 1990s arms deal.
Zuma, who alleges that Downer leaked his medical report to a journalist, is now also accusing Ramaphosa of neglecting his duties by not acting after being informed of the leak, said Mzwanele Manyi, a spokesperso for his foundation.
“He didn’t move a needle … in terms of addressing the matter,” Manyi said.
Ramaphosa’s office dismissed Zuma’s accusations as “spurious and unfounded”.
Zuma’s lawsuit is unlikely to hamper Ramaphosa’s chances of being re-elected as ANC leader, as analysts say the embattled party needs Ramaphosa.
“There’s nothing political here,” Manyi insisted to AFP.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@Undlunkulu_Xoli
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