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Former President Jacob Zuma said Monday that he would not participate in the urgent Constitutional Court case of the state’s capture investigation that forces him to comply with the subpoena to appear before the commission in 2021.
Monday was the highest court deadline for Zuma to file an affidavit in response to the commission’s request. Instead, his attorney, Eric Mabuza, submitted a concise letter compound a single sentence.
“Our client, President JG Zuma, has told us that he will not participate in these proceedings at all,” the letter read.
His snub of the Constitutional Court case means that when the request is heard on December 29, Zuma’s lawyers will have no opposition. However, the commission will still have to persuade the highest court that it must hear your request directly and rule in your favor on the merits.
The commission urgently went to the highest court two weeks ago after Zuma ran away from the commission, failing to comply with a subpoena to appear and testify.
Zuma withdrew after his request to disqualify the president, Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo, was rejected.
The commission has now issued two new subpoenas, for dates in January and February.
Then he also went to the Constitutional Court asking him to order Zuma to comply with the new summons and to answer the questions asked “subject to the privilege of not self-incriminating, and he may not invoke the right to remain silent.” the motion notice said.
“I do not believe that Mr. Zuma will challenge an order from this court,” commission secretary Itumeleng Mosala said in a founding affidavit.
Mosala’s affidavit detailed the efforts made by the commission, since September 13, 2018, to invite Zuma to respond to the accusations against him and secure his assistance to testify and respond to the evidence of more than 30 witnesses. they had, or may have implicated him in the capture of the state.
“Mr. Zuma’s failure to appear or refused to appear before the commission amounted to no less than five weeks of scheduled hearing. This is in addition to the dates of November 16-20, 2020, which were also lost as a result of Mr. Zuma’s late request for disqualification and his departure from the commission proceedings, ”Mosala said.
The state capture investigation must, in terms of a court order, deliver its report to President Cyril Ramaphosa by March 31. It has postponed its public hearings for the year to resume in early January.
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