By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The High Court in Pietermaritzburg has once again postponed former president Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial pending the outcome of his “reconsideration” application.
Judge Piet Koen on Tuesday morning deferred the case to 1 August 2022.
The reconsideration application was still on its way to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Judge President Mandisa Maya, the Pietermaritzburg High Court heard on Tuesday.
Zuma has asked Judge Maya to reconsider Judge Koen’s ruling, in which he found that there was no reason that State Advocate Billy Downer could not continue as the prosecutor in the matter.
The reconsideration application has been made in terms of section 17.2(f) in terms of the Superior Courts Act, which allows an SCA Judge President to personally intervene and have a matter heard by the court.
The appeals court had agreed with Judge Koen’s judgment last year dismissing Zuma’s application for Downer to be recused from the trial.
Downer informed the high court on Tuesday that the state had checked with the registrar of the SCA on Monday, and it was confirmed that Judge Maya had not ruled on the “reconsideration application”.
He said the application on Monday was on its way to Maya’s office.
“The reason for the delay is unclear to me, it is not our mandate to interrogate that.
“But it has been received and the papers are ready and they’re on their way to the president,” Downer said.
The former president is accused of receiving 791 payments, totalling R4.1-million, between 1995 and 2004 from his former financial adviser/economic adviser, Schabir Shaik, and Shaik’s companies, to help Thales (accused number two) secure lucrative defence contracts from the government as part of South Africa’s armaments deal.
Downer was part of the original team that successfully secured Shaik’s conviction in 2005. Shaik was released on medical parole in March 2009.
Zuma is facing one count of racketeering, two counts of corruption, one count of money laundering and 12 counts of fraud. Thales is facing one count of racketeering, two counts of corruption and one count of money laundering.
Zuma and Thales have pleaded not guilty to all charges.