Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen is expected to hand down judgment on Tuesday, in the legal fight where former president Jacob Zuma wants National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) senior prosecutor Billy Downer removed from his corruption trial.
The former head of state has, since August this year, made it clear that he wants Downer removed from the matter. He has accused him of engaging in unethical conduct, while leading Zuma’s prosecution for alleged corruption, during the arms deal of the late ’90s.
He alleges that Downer has been, without the authority of the director of public prosecution, leaking information to the media and spies from the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) of the US.
A few days before the matter was orally argued by parties before Judge Koen last month, Zuma upped the stakes and filed a supplementary affidavit, accusing Downer of persisting with his leaks. He accused him of leaking Zuma’s medical records, which were sent to him in August, when Zuma, who was still jailed by then, wanted to bolster his argument that he was too frail to personally come to court.
On Thursday last week, Zuma also filed two criminal charges against Downer, at the Pietermaritzburg Police Station, claiming he deliberately leaked the confidential records to a certain journalist.
In his statement when opening the case, Zuma accused Downer of breaching section 41 (6) of the NPA, which prohibits disclosure of information without the permission of the national director. Dear Media, Just so it’s clear. On October 26, 2021, Judge Koen will be handing down his judgment, following the arguments of September 21-22. So, October 26, 2021, is not a trial date, but a judgment date. Zuma is not required to attend, he will send his attorney,” his foundation said in a statement.
The NPA has previously said Zuma’s application will likely not get the nod, as most of the arguments he raised during oral arguments were the same arguments that were dismissed by the same court in May 2019, when he wanted the charges against him to be permanently quashed.
It has also defended Downer, saying it has noted with concern that Zuma has laid the two criminal charges and it still has confidence in Downer, as his record as a prosecutor speaks for himself.
Source: eNCA
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