In another blow to former South African President Jacob Zuma, Lawyers representing him and led by Eric Mabuza, have filed a notice seeking to withdraw from the case.
The lawyers did not provide any reason for the withdrawal but the move has further embattled the former South African President after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that he was entitled to pay for his legal fee.
The same court later ordered Zuma to pay back an estimated $2 million in lawyers’ charges that he has received over the years from the state.
Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft, and racketeering relating to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats, and military equipment.
He’s being accused of collecting bribes of four million rands in a $3.4-billion arms deal with French aerospace and defense giant Thales in 1999, when he was deputy president.
Zuma is also facing other legal battles, including a pending court judgment on whether he should be jailed for refusing to testify at a state commission of inquiry which is probing graft.
The commission has heard testimony that Zuma allowed members of the controversial Gupta family to influence his cabinet appointments and state contracts in favor of their businesses.
However, Zuma has refused to testify at the commission, where he has been implicated by several witnesses including people who were Cabinet ministers when he was president.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
