The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Thursday, said formal South African president, Jacob Zuma’s latest appeal to delay his corruption trial due to take place in April, has been dismissed by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
Zuma’s corruption trial began in May 2021, after numerous postponements and delays due to a number of appeals.
Zuma, who was president from 2009 to 2018, and later forced to step down by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) as graft scandals surrounding his government brewed into a political storm, is charged with 16 counts of fraud, corruption and racketeering.
Last year he was hit with a 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court, after refusing to testify before a panel that sought to probe the corruption that held sway under his presidency, which he denied any knowledge of. He was later granted medical parole just two months into his jail term.
The formal president’s recent appeal was dismissed after the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that there were “no reasonable prospect of success on appeal and that there are no other compelling reasons for an appeal to be heard” in his claims.
His corruption trial is set to resume on 11th April, 2022, according to a statement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
