Former president Jacob Zuma’s foundation says he will not receive a fair trial if Billy Downer remains as a lead prosecutor in his case.
With the corruption trial due to get underway in the Pietermaritzburg high court Zuma’s lawyers have now resolved to initiate private prosecution proceedings against Downer.
The foundation says it has observed what it described as a “frenzy” of activity in recent days by the NPA to “cleanse” Downer by any means necessary.
Zuma’s spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi.
“I can’t see how the trial will go, I can’t really see with all the clout and dust that is here. I mean if yesterday we had a supplementary affidavit by the NPA responding to some of the things, to the postponement of the application and all of that, it is very clear that tomorrow is going to be one of those lawyers call interlocutory issues or whatever.”
Zuma who turns 80 years old on Tuesday has been accused of advancing a Stalingrad defence that involves the stalling of his trial for as long as possible.
Manyi however says this is not the case.
“Remove Downer put another prosecutor and see what we do. Because I can guarantee you, you do that the trial will start yesterday. So the state is actually delaying this case by holding on to a retiree, its actually an insult to the rest of the prosecutors.
Zuma is accused of receiving over seven hundred payments totalling just over four million rand between 1995 and 2004 to help arms company Thales which is an accused in the matter secure lucrative defence contracts from the government.
-EWN
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