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The case was officially postponed until December on Tuesday, in Pietermaritzburg High Court, after it emerged that current travel restrictions would prevent key witnesses who were abroad from testifying on the matter.
FILE: Former President Jacob Zuma appears in Durban High Court on June 8, 2018 on charges of corruption related to the arms trade. Image: EWN
DURBAN – The National Tax Authority (NPA) says COVID-19-related travel restrictions are among the causes of delays in the case against former President Jacob Zuma and the French arms company Thales.
Zuma and Thales face charges of corruption, fraud and extortion linked to the arms business.
The case was officially postponed until December on Tuesday, in Pietermaritzburg High Court, after it emerged that current travel restrictions would prevent key witnesses who were abroad from testifying on the matter.
Natasha Kara of the NPA said Thales’ request for a review and request for more details were also among the main reasons for the postponement.
“By agreement, all parties have agreed to provisionally postpone the matter for resolution of pre-trial management issues. The matter was postponed until December 8, 2020. ”
Thales is accused of paying a bribe of R500,000 to Zuma to protect him in any arms trade investigation.
He wants the racketeering charge against him declared unconstitutional, invalid and overturned.
The company reportedly threatened to sue the NPA for what it calls a malicious prosecution that damaged its reputation.
Meanwhile, the Jacob Zuma Foundation has called for the charges against the former statesman to be dropped from the list until the dispute between Thales and the prosecution is resolved.
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