Former South African president, Jacob Zuma will face prosecution on corruption charges that haunted much of his term in office, the country’s chief prosecutor said Friday.
The ruling is the latest twist in a case that has dogged post-apartheid South Africa’s democratic leadership after the country inked a $5-billion (4.2-billion-euro) arms deal in the 1990s.
“After consideration of the matter I am of the view there are reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution of Mr Zuma on the charges listed in the indictment,” said National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams at a media briefing in Pretoria.
Zuma will face racketeering, corruption, money laundering and fraud charges — all of which can carry lengthy custodial sentences on conviction.
“I am of the view that a trial court would be the most appropriate forum for these issues to be ventilated and to be decided upon,” said Abrahams.
The former president could now appeal the ruling on a number of grounds and argue that the decision is illegitimate as Abrahams’ own position is uncertain.
In December, the High Court in Pretoria ordered then-deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa to replace Abrahams, ruling that Zuma’s original decision to appoint him was “null and void” because he was “conflicted” at the time.
“Justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done — I am mindful that everyone is equal before the law,” said Abrahams, who noted that “Mr Zuma disputes all allegations against him”.
“I don’t think Zuma can stay out of court — there’s too many charges hanging over him,” independent political analyst and author Nomavenda Mathiane told AFP ahead of the announcement.
Abrahams said that his department’s representatives in Zuma’s home region of KwaZulu-Natal “will facilitate the necessary processes for Mr Zuma and his co-accused to appear in court”.
Last year, a court ruled against a decision by prosecutors in 2009 to drop the corruption charges against Zuma just months before he became president, laying the path to Friday’s announcement.
Zuma’s criminal charges relate to an arms procurement deals struck by the government in the late 1990s and from which he is accused of profiting corruptly to the tune of four million rand ($345,000, 280,000 euros).
Culled from AFP
