$2.5bn Arms Deal: Court Adjourns Trial Of Ex-president Zuma Until July 27

The case against former South African President Jacob Zuma was postponed to July 27 by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Friday. Zuma made appearance facing 16 charges related to corruption, racketeering and money-laundering. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the charges involve the arms deal of the late 1990s. Deputy Judge President Njabuliseni Madondo said, “By consent, this matter is adjourned to 27 July 2018 at Pietermaritzburg. The reason for this is that Pietermaritzburg has more accommodation.” The former president had initially escaped prosecution, although his financial adviser Schabir Shaik was jailed for corruption in the arms procurement. Zuma’s supporters held a vigil on Thursday night. Zuma addressed the crowd who had gathered outside the court. Some supporters wanted to go inside but were prevented by the police. Many were dressed in African National Congress party regalia. Both the NPA and the former president’s lawyer have requested for the provisional postponement, with the prosecuting authority saying it wants to study arms company Thales’ representations to withdraw the case. The judge granted both their requests.]]>