Hearing With Ex-President Zuma Cancelled.

The hearing of the case of bribery and alleged corruption of former President Jacob Zuma in the High Court of KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday was replaced by a virtual meeting of “management”, announced today the South African Justice.

"The hearing in the case between JG Zuma and the State, which was scheduled to take place from 15 to 16 August 2023 at the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, will not take place as scheduled."

He indicated, in a statement, the office of the Chief Justice of South Africa, Raymond Zondo.

“Instead, the presiding judge of the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the Superior Court, Judge Thoba Poyo-Dlwati, will conduct a virtual case management meeting with all parties involved on the previously scheduled dates for the court session,” it concluded. the note.

The former South African president and former leader of the African National Congress (ANC), the party in power since 1994, is on trial in the case of bribery and alleged public corruption in South Africa's 1999 arms purchase. Democratic South post-apartheid racial segregation regime.

The start of the trial in the case, which has been going on for more than 20 years, was scheduled for soon, according to the South African authorities.

Last Friday, Jacob Zuma, 81 years old, received a presidential "special pardon" from Cyril Ramapahosa, and will not be re-incarcerated to serve a 15-month prison sentence for disrespecting the country's justice, announced the South African government.

Jacob Zuma, head of state between 2009 and 2018, faces 18 charges related to the case, including fraud, corruption, money laundering and extortion, in connection with the purchase of military equipment from five European arms companies, in 1999, when he was deputy -President of Thabo Mbeki.

French defense manufacturer Thales also faces accusations of corruption and money laundering. Both Zuma and the Thales group have always denied the allegations.

The new judge is Nkosinathi Chili and replaces Judge Piet Koen, who presided over the case of public corruption in the arms business against the former South African head of state and who decided to withdraw, last January, from the trial of the case with about of 20 years.

On April 17, Judge Nkosinathi Chili adjourned the trial to August 15 to hear Zuma's new appeal, which seeks to get the lead prosecutor in the trial, Billy Downer, to dismiss the case, accusing him of bias and leaking information. for the press.