Former South African President, Jacob Zuma, lost today, Tuesday, his appeal, through which he sought to drop the charges against him, before the Supreme Court of Petrmaritburg.
These charges are based on a major corruption issue related to an arms deal, which was concluded in 1999, at the value of several billions of South African Rand, where Zuma and the French weapons company “Talis” faces corruption, money laundering and extortion.
Zuma and “Talis” had applied for a request to drop all charges against them, on the pretext that the death of two main witnesses prevented the possibility of confronting certificates in the court, making the trial unfair.
However, Judge Nkosinathi Chile rejected this request, stressing that the court does not have the authority to drop the charges, and the argument of Zuma refused that the absence of the deceased witnesses constituted a violation of his right to a fair trial.
Thus, Jacob Zuma, who is currently the head of a party, will undergo trial. This issue is one of several issues in which Zuma was involved, and contributed to the decline in his position on the political scene in South Africa.
This issue raises widespread questions about the impact of corruption on the political scene in South Africa, where Zuma is still a prominent figure despite the legal challenges he faces.