Zuma's challenge to fraud charges gets under way

SOUTH AFRICA: HUNDREDS OF people gathered outside a South African high court yesterday to support ANC leader Jacob Zuma in his…

SOUTH AFRICA:HUNDREDS OF people gathered outside a South African high court yesterday to support ANC leader Jacob Zuma in his bid to have corruption charges against him struck out. Bill Corcoranreports from Johannesburg

Mr Zuma faces charges of corruption, money laundering, fraud and racketeering relating to bribes worth R4 million (€357,000) he allegedly took from French arms manufacturers Thint Holdings in the late 1990s when he was the country's deputy president.

The 66-year-old allegedly took the bribes in return for supporting Thint's bid to secure government arms contracts. It is also alleged he took further bribes worth R500,000 (about €45,000) a year to protect the company from an ensuing corruption investigation.

However, lawyers for the frontrunner to become South Africa's next president told Pietermaritzburg high court that the process followed by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) before last year's charges were re-entered was flawed and, therefore, unlawful.

READ MORE

Defence lawyer Kemp J Kemp argued that his client should have been afforded the opportunity to make representations to the NPA before it charged him again. The original charges against Mr Zuma were dropped by the NPA in 2003 because of a lack of evidence, according to then national director of public prosecution Bulelani Ngcuka, who said the NPA did not have a "winnable case".

However, the NPA decided to re-enter the charges after Mr Zuma's financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was convicted of soliciting bribes on behalf of Mr Zuma from Thint in 2005. Mr Zuma denies all the charges against him. State advocate Wim Trengove SC told the court the bid to have the decision to prosecute Mr Zuma declared unlawful, was "besides the point" because such disputes should be decided in the criminal trial and not in a separate action.

Senior ANC members were among those gathered outside the courthouse and they protested at what they feel is a political witch-hunt of their leader. "Mr Zuma has been found guilty in the court of public opinion because the NPA has consistently sent messages . . . that are incorrect," ANC spokeswoman Jessie Duarte said.

Last week a constitutional court challenge by Mr Zuma over the lawfulness of search and seizure operations by the state was thrown out by a vote of 10 to one by the presiding judges.

Mr Zuma's current challenge resumes today. If he is unsuccessful the case is likely to begin before the end of the year. A long trial might mean that Mr Zuma's case would overlap with a general election in 2009, which he would almost certainly win, and the combination could increase political instability in Africa's biggest economy.