Zuma Lawyer Urges South African Court to Scrap Graft Charges
- Trial politically motivated, unduly delayed: ex-president
- Zuma faces 16 counts ranging from corruption to racketeering
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Lawyers acting for former South African President Jacob Zuma argued that corruption charges against him dating back almost two decades should be scrapped because the case against him is politically motivated and has been unreasonably delayed by the state.
Musi Sikhakhane told the High Court in the city of Pietermaritzburg on Monday that the former chief prosecutor who pushed for the charges, Bulelani Ngcuka, was an ally of Thabo Mbeki, who ruled from 1999 until 2008 and sought to block Zuma from succeeding him as leader of the ruling party and the country. South Africa’s appeals court ruled in October 2017 that the trial could go ahead.