Zuma corruption trial due to resume

By Pumza Fihlani

Former President Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial – which has been rescheduled a number of times – is due to resume on Tuesday in a Pietermaritzburg high court.

Mr Zuma is facing a string of charges in connection with a multibillion-dollar arms deal in which he is accused of accepting bribes from a French company Thales in the 1990s.

Both Zuma and the arms company have denied the accusations.

He insists that his court cases are politically motivated, but has provided no evidence of this.

The 79-year-old Zuma - who was recently granted medical parole over an undisclosed condition - is not expected appear in court.

But his supporters, who have been a regular feature at previous appearances, are expected to gather outside the courthouse.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison for failing to appear before an investigation into wide-scale corruption known in South Africa as state capture - and served a little over two months, most of that time in hospital.

In that matter, it’s claimed Zuma and his friends known as the Gupta brothers – unduly benefited from millions of dollars worth of government contracts while he was president. They’ve all denied any wrongdoing.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Reuters