(3 minutes read)
· A South African Court again postponed a long-delayed corruption trial against jailed former president Jacob Zuma
· Now the date fixed for trial is September 9 following his hospitalization. The ailment that he is suffering from, is still undisclosed
A South African Court again postponed a long-delayed corruption trial against jailed former president Jacob Zuma. Now the date fixed for trial is September 9 following his hospitalization. The ailment that he is suffering from, is still undisclosed.
Zuma, has been jailed for 15 months on a separate contempt of court matter. This led to a wave of looting and unrest causing losses of several millions of dollars. The main charge against him is the US$2 billion arms deal corruption case. He has been in the hospital since last Friday for medical observation. Zuma’s advocates were asked to produce a medical report by Aug. 20 about his ailment. The judge has also empowered the State to appoint a medical doctor of its choice to assess whether Zuma was fit to stand trial and give evidence.
The prosecution has sought more details about the medical conditions of the former president that make him unavailable for online hearing. The hearing had been delayed for 18 months.
Importantly, Zuma’s advocate last month asked the Constitutional Court to annul his jail sentence, partly on the grounds that he was suffering from an unspecified medical condition. It appears that the trial might continue for sometime on one pretext or the other.
