By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
French arms company Thales and former president Jacob Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court’s to apply for leave to appeal dismissal of their application to be acquitted on all charges in the arms deal corruption case.
Zuma and Thales pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering fraud, corruption and money laundering in May 2021.
The case has been ongoing for nearly two decades, facing multiple delays including legal challenges by Zuma’s team, which has repeatedly appealed and challenged the charges.
The issue of continuous appeals and applications for leave to appeal has caused frustration in bringing the matter to finality to such an extent that even Judge Nkosinathi Chili had expressed concern that whatever decision he makes on the current application would be followed by another appeal.
To avoid further delay in taking the matter to trial, Chili urged the defence and State teams not to go into the merits of the application.
NPA’s Advocate Wim Trengrove said, the State should not allow Zuma and Thales to launch a series of appeals, but should have insisted that the trial go on trial despite pending appeals.
Trengrove said the matter should go on trial and that the accused should only be allowed to appeal after the conviction.
Zuma’s legal team, led by Advocate Dali Mpofu questioned the lead prosecutor Advocate Bill Downer’s impartiality, leading to additional delays.
Mpofu also contended that without the testimony of two crucial Thales executives in the case —former directors Pierre Moynot and Alain Thetard, who died in 2020 and 2022 —they won’t be able to mount a meaningful defense.
Judge Chili will deliver the ruling on Zuma and Thales’s application for leave to appeal on January 23, 2026.
Zuma faces 18 charges, including corruption, fraud, and money laundering, linked to 783 alleged illegal payments he received from French armaments manufacturer Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) and business owner Schabir Shaik.