Judgment reserved in Zuma’s bid to remove prosecutor Downer

Former President Jacob Zuma’s legal team at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

3 minutes

The Pietermaritzburg High Court has reserved judgment in former President Jacob Zuma’s application for leave to appeal the court’s dismissal of his bid to have the lead prosecutor in his corruption trial, Advocate Billy Downer removed.

This is Zuma’s second bid to have Downer removed from his corruption trial.

Earlier, the state told the court that there was no reasonable basis that Zuma would suffer a grave injustice if his corruption trial went ahead with Advocate Downer as lead prosecutor.

However, Advocate Dali Mpofu, representing Zuma, put to the court that there are reasonable grounds that Zuma may fear that Downer now bears a grudge against him.

Former president Jacob #Zuma in jovial mood in Pmb High #Court ahead of apllication to appeal dismissal of #recusal apllication of lead prodecutor Advocate Billy #Downer in corruption case #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/5AbfwmNRBY

— Dries Liebenberg (@DriesLiebenberg) February 6, 2025

Key figures in Zuma-Thales case die

Meanwhile, two alleged key figures in the arms deal corruption saga have died. This has emerged at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday.

French arms company Thales – which is being charged together with Zuma – has now lodged an application for the company to be acquitted. It says it can’t defend itself without the evidence of the two retired and now deceased directors – Alain Thethard and Pierre Moynot.

Thales says in court papers, that they only recently learnt that two retired directors of the group had passed away. Moynot died in 2021 at the age of 76, while the 74-year-old Thethard passed away in 2022.

They were the directors of the group in South Africa when the company allegedly sought influence with the African National Congress (ANC) through former President Zuma’s financial advisor – Schabir Shaik. This allegedly eventually culminated in an agreement in 2000, to pay a R500 000 a year bribe to Zuma to protect them from investigations into the arms deal.

Thales says in court papers, that without the evidence of Thethard and Moynot they are unable to lead evidence to present their case, and is therefore asking that their prosecution be stopped and the company be found not guilty. While a date is still to be set to hear this application, Advocate Dali Mpofu indicated in court that Zuma’s legal team will join Thales in this application.

#Zuma legal team arguing there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that lead prosecutor could bear a grudge against him because of private prosecution Zuma instituted against him #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/d3ikWf9fkV

— Dries Liebenberg (@DriesLiebenberg) February 6, 2025