Current:Home > MyEx-South African leader’s corruption trial date set as he fights another case to run for election -FinanceCore
Ex-South African leader’s corruption trial date set as he fights another case to run for election
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:18:56
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Former South African President Jacob Zuma will go on trial for alleged corruption next April, four years after he was formally charged with taking bribes in connection with a multi-billion-dollar arms deal and 20 years after he was first implicated, prosecutors said Thursday.
Zuma is charged with multiple counts of corruption as well as racketeering, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering over a huge deal the South African government signed to revamp its armed forces in 1999. Zuma is accused of taking bribes from French arms company Thales, then named Thomson-CSF, and a subcontractor in the deal.
The arms deal became one of South Africa’s biggest political scandals and was clouded in corruption allegations.
Zuma pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing in 2021 that was supposed to mark the start of his trial, but it has been subject to long delays after Zuma launched appeals asking for the judge and the prosecutor to be removed from the case, alleging they were personally biased against him. The original trial judge recused himself but Zuma’s attempt to remove the prosecutor was rejected.
Prosecutors said the trial would now begin on April 14 next year, with a pre-trial hearing set for this August. Thales is a co-defendant in the case and has also pleaded not guilty.
“We are hoping that there are no hurdles that we will have to navigate now and that, finally, the matter will proceed,” Mthunzi Mhaga, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, told South African media. He said Zuma had engaged in “delaying tactics.”
The charges against Zuma relate to a period between 1995 and 2005, before he became president. During that time, he was an influential politician on the rise and later the deputy president of South Africa. He is accused of receiving bribes in return for giving the deal political protection and ensuring it went through despite questions over it.
Zuma was fired as deputy president in 2005 after his financial adviser, who is alleged to have been the fixer for the bribes, was convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison.
Zuma was served with a preliminary indictment in 2005 but the charges were dropped and reinstated multiple times over the years.
Zuma made a dramatic political comeback to become president of South Africa in 2009. He resigned as leader of Africa’s most developed country in 2018 because of separate corruption allegations.
If Zuma is convicted of the charges in the arms deal trial, he faces a possible sentence of between 15 years and life in prison. The 82-year-old served part of a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court in 2021 for refusing to testify at a corruption inquiry that was not related to his trial.
Zuma has since made yet another political return, this time as the leader of a new political party, and is involved in another court case over whether he’s eligible to run as a candidate in a national election this month. The national election body says he is ineligible because of his criminal conviction for contempt.
___
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- What happened to Eric Bolling? Here's what to know about the Newsmax anchor's exit
- New Mexico voters oust incumbents from Legislature with positive implications for paid family leave
- LeBron James 'mad' he's not Kyrie Irving's running mate any longer
- Trump's 'stop
- New York judge seen shoving police officer will be replaced on the bench
- Reports: Novak Djokovic set for knee surgery, likely to miss Wimbledon
- The 10 Top-Rated, Easy-to-Use Hair Products for Root Touch-Ups and Grey Coverage in Between Salon Visits
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Illinois man gets life in prison for killing of Iowa grocery store worker
Ranking
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- FDA panel votes against MDMA for PTSD, setting up hurdle to approval
- Sturgill Simpson to release new album under a new name, embark on 2024 concert tour
- King Charles III gives thanks to D-Day veterans during event with Prince William, Queen Camilla
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Who will win 2024 NBA Finals? Mavericks vs. Celtics picks, predictions and odds
- Pritzker signs $53.1B Illinois budget, defends spending with ‘sustainable long-term growth’
- Pro rock climber sentenced to life in prison for sexual assaults in Yosemite National Park
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Thousands pay tribute to Connecticut state trooper killed during highway traffic stop
Man’s body found after suburban Chicago home explodes
Heartbreak, anger and many questions follow University of the Arts’ abrupt decision to close
2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
LA28 organizers choose former US military leader Reynold Hoover as CEO
Boeing launches NASA astronauts for the first time after years of delays
Taylor Swift Defends Lady Gaga From Invasive & Irresponsible Body Comments