A South African judge has dismissed an application by former president Jacob Zuma to remove the prosecutor in his arms deal corruption trial.
Zuma had argued that the prosecutor was biased against him and submitted a special plea to the Pietermaritzburg High Court to have him replaced.
The former president, 79, pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption, money laundering and racketeering in the long-running case over the 1990s deal for military equipment.
Zuma was briefly jailed earlier this year for contempt of court for refusing to appear at a separate corruption inquiry, but he was granted medical parole after being hospitalised for an undisclosed condition. read more
Zuma, whose decade in power was marred by scandals, was at the Pietermaritzburg court to hear whether his application would be granted. Dressed in a dark suit and red tie, he was silent as Koen read out his judgment. Lawyers for the accused and the state retired to discuss when the case could proceed to trial.
