Cape Town – South African ex-president Jacob Zuma has reportedly turned to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in a fresh bid to replace the chief prosecutor Billy Downer in his long-running corruption trial over a 1990s arms deal.
This comes after the High Court judge Piet Koen last year rejected Zuma’s application to have prosecutor Downer dropped from the case.
Koen further dismissed Zuma’s leave to appeal the ruling last month.
His appeal “should not be entertained at this stage of the trial”, Koen said, adding that an appeal now would “invariably result in delays and hence drawn-out trials to the detriment not only to the accused but to any co-accused, and also to the public”, Koen said.
ALSO READ: Jacob Zuma loses appeal bid to have lead prosecutor Billy Downer dropped from his graft case
Zuma wanted Downer to recuse himself for allegedly sharing confidential medical information with the media. He argued that Downer was neither independent nor impartial.
However, Koen insisted the prosecutor had no conflicts of interest, calling Zuma’s claims “frivolous, absurd… and devoid of any prospects of success”.
This week, the Jacob Zuma Foundation said that Zuma’s legal team had lodged the petition at the SCA against “the dismissal of the plea to remove Downer in the criminal trial, refusal of the appeal and refusal of the application to introduce new evidence”.
The legal team of H.E President Zuma has lodged the petition at the SCA against PMB HC.
The petition against:-
* Dismissal of the plea to remove Downer in the criminal trial.
* Refusal of the appeal.
* Refusal of the application to introduce new evidence.https://t.co/1jXZ4uScZj— JGZuma Foundation (Official) (@JGZ_Foundation) March 9, 2022
EWN quoted spokesperson for the foundation Mzwanele Manyi as saying: “The petition against the decision of Judge Koen dismissing the special plea for the removal of Billy Downer as prosecutor in the criminal case, as well as the application for leave to appeal and the application to lead new evidence was indeed lodged at the SCA today.”
ALSO READ: Jacob Zuma in fresh bid to drop graft trial prosecutor Billy Downer
Zuma faces 16 counts of fraud, graft and racketeering related to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and equipment from five European arms firms.
He is accused of taking bribes from French defence giant Thales, which has also been charged with corruption and money laundering.
Both have denied any wrongdoing.
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Picture: Twitter/@ TweetMinisterSA
Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
Additional reporting by AFP
