A South African judge has dismissed a bid by former president Jacob Zuma to appeal an earlier ruling rejecting his attempt to have the prosecutor in his arms deal corruption trial taken off the case for alleged bias.
Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen said in court that the application for leave to appeal and all related applications are all dismissed, adding that the criminal trial would proceed.
The judgment means Zuma’s trial will move forward on April 11.
Zuma has claimed he is the victim of a political witch-hunt orchestrated by allies of President Cyril Ramaphosa, a charge Ramaphosa has denied.
Addressing the Zuma camp’s accusation, Ramaphosa told parliament on Wednesday that it is not within the power of the president – and it shouldn’t be within the power of the president – to initiate criminal proceedings against anyone.
Zuma, ousted as head of state in 2018 after nine years in power, has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption, money laundering and racketeering in a long-running case over a $2 billion arms deal in the 1990s.
Last year Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defying an order to participate in a corruption inquiry. He was released on medical parole, but a court later ruled he should return to jail. Zuma has appealed that ruling.
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