Six months after it was last in court, the arms deal corruption case against former President Jacob Zuma and French arms company Thales will be back in the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) today and tomorrow.

In June, Judge Nkosinathi Chili ruled against Zuma and Thales’ bid to have the trial stopped.

According to TimesLIVE, lawyers for both indicated at that time that they would consider appealing this ruling. This has now been confirmed by the Jacob Zuma Foundation, which issued a statement late yesterday that they had applied for leave to appeal and oral argument would proceed today.

The state is opposing the granting of such leave and has also filed a separation application in which it seeks an order that the criminal trial proceed, in spite of any pending appeals.

The state is again expected to argue that Zuma in particular has adopted a ‘Stalingrad’ approach and has for years delayed the trial through doomed-to-fail applications and appeals.

However Chili rules on the latest applications, they will undoubtedly also go on appeal. 

Zuma first appeared on what was a second indictment in 2018 on charges of fraud, corruption, racketeering and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty in May 2021.

But he initiated what was to become a series of ‘obstructive’ applications, including a bid to remove lead prosecutor Advocate Billy Downer SC and a private prosecution of Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan, none of which were successful.

Chili is the second judge to preside over the matter, after Judge Piet Koen recused himself, at Zuma’s instance.

Thales earlier this year, launched an application arguing none of the delays were of its doing – and that it could now not get a fair trial because key witnesses, including former company executives Pierre Moynot and Alain Thetard, had died.

Full TimesLIVE report