Johannesburg - Former president Jacob Zuma will know on Friday whether his fraud, corruption and money laundering charges from the late '90s arms deal will proceed or not.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the ruling will be handed down on Friday by the Pietermaritzburg High Court. NPA spokesperson Bulelwa Makeke said: “Ruling on Mr Zuma’s application of permanent stay of prosecution is on Friday, 11 October.”
The spokesperson of the NPA in KwaZulu-Natal Natasha Kara confirmed that the ruling on the matter will be handed down on Friday morning at the provincial high court.
The ruling follows a four-day hearing that took place in May this year where Zuma’s legal team, led by Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC, argued before a full bench that the case has been impacted by interference and undue delays.
However, the NPA argued that some of the delays should be solely blamed on Zuma.
The charges were dropped in 2009 by former acting NPA Director, Mokotedi Mpshe, citing political interference. They were later reinstated in March 2018, just weeks after the ANC recalled Zuma from the presidency.
What is confusing is that while the ruling is expected be handed down on Friday, Zuma is due in court next Tuesday on the same matter.
In a media advisory issued by the Office of the Chief Justice, Zuma is scheduled to go back to court again on October 15. There is an assumption that this was a long scheduled court appearance before Zuma applied for the permanent stay of prosecution.
*This is a developing story.