Lungani Zungu
Jacob Zuma is pinning his hopes on Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen to finally escape Arms Deal prosecution.
Judge Koen will hand down judgement on the former president’s recusal application against senior prosecutor advocate Billy Downer on Tuesday.
Zuma opened a case against Downer at the Pietermaritzburg police station last week, accusing him of leaking medical records to a journalist.
Zuma himself will not be in court.
“The 26th October is not a trial date but a judgement date. His Excellency President Zuma is not required to attend. He will send his attorney,” the Jacob Zuma Foundation said in a statement.
Zuma wants Downer to be removed from the so-called Arms Deal case where he faces 16 counts of corruption, money laundering and fraud.
He is charged along with Thales, a French arms manufacturer formerly called Thomson-CSF, which is accused of bribing Zuma in return for protection from prosecution.
Zuma has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
He previously accused Downer of working for international agencies, including the US-based Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and local media houses.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) reacted to Zuma’s bizarre claims saying this was just delaying tactics.
The ruling is crucial in the Arms Deal case that has lasted for close to two decades now.
Zuma’s lawyer advocate Dali Mpofu told the court previously that he would argue for Zuma’s acquittal should the magistrate rule in his favour on the recusal application.
Should the ruling go against Zuma it would pave the way for the start of the case.
Zuma is on medical parole following his release from a 15-month jail term earlier last month, after his arrest in July for defying two court orders telling him to appear at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry.
