The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling to dismiss former president Jacob Zuma’s request to have advocate Billy Downer removed from his arms deal corruption case, saying it would now focus on getting the trial under way.
The SCA on Thursday ruled that the application had an insufficient prospect of success. “There is no other reason why an appeal should be heard,” the court found.
In February, the Pietermaritzburg High Court turned down Zuma’s bid to appeal the dismissal of his application for the recusal of Downer based on bias.
Zuma lodged a complaint of prosecutorial misconduct in October 2021 and accused Downer, a lead prosecutor in his arms deal corruption case, of allegedly leaking his medical records to the media.
Zuma, who said at the time the NPA officials had violated his rights since the beginning of his case in 2005, requested to be acquitted should the court find that prosecutors treated him unfairly.
He contended that the state attorney was neither independent nor impartial. Zuma’s trial resumes on April 11.
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