Former South African President Jacob Zuma has lost his latest legal bid to have long-standing corruption charges dropped. A High Court in Pietermaritzburg dismissed his appeal on Tuesday, paving the way for him to stand trial alongside French arms manufacturer Thales.
Zuma and Thales face multiple charges including corruption, money laundering and racketeering stemming from a controversial multi-billion-rand arms deal dating back to 1999. The deal, signed when Zuma formerly was vice president, has long been dogged by allegations of bribery and irregularities.
Both Zuma and Thales argued that the case should be dropped because of the deaths of two key witnesses and that the lack of their testimonies would undermine the fairness of the case. But Justice Nkosinathi Chili ruled that the court did not have the power to drop the charges and found no legal basis to support Zuma’s claim of an unfair trial.
“There is no basis for the court to make the order sought by Mr Zuma,” Justice Chili said in a ruling broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). “Both Thales’ and Mr Zuma’s applications are rejected.” Zuma, who is former president of South Africa and currently the leader of the recently formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) political party, will remain on trial as legal proceedings continue in one of South Africa’s most high-profile corruption cases.