Opposition charges Zuma with perjury

14 Décembre 2017

Cape Town, South Africa, December 14 (Infosplusgabon) -  The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday laid perjury charges against South African President Jacob Zuma.

This was after the Gauteng High Court on Wednesday rejected Zuma's bid to have former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's State Capture report reviewed.

Zuma was attempting to block the damning report which directly implicates him and his family and friends in a massive graft scandal.

The court unanimously found that the report stands as is, and the President’s conduct in trying to block the release of the report was an “abuse of judicial process” and an attempt to “stymie the fulfillment of a constitutional obligation by the Office of the Public Protector”.

The court ordered Zuma to personally pay the legal costs of his failed attempt to interdict the release of the report, as well as the costs of the failed review proceedings, which is estimated to be US$440 000.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane slammed Zuma's “sinister attempt to mislead the courts, abuse judicial process, and ultimately undermine the law and the Constitution of the Republic”.

“This defeat for Zuma is a landmark victory for the people of South Africa. For too long, South Africans have been personally paying the extravagant legal bill of a President who – instead of leading a country – spends most of his days in court, abusing legal process in order to keep himself and his friends and family in business and out of prison,” Maimane said.

He noted that this is the first instance since the dawn of democracy in 1994 that a sitting President has been required to personally pay – out of his own pocket – the costs of litigation.

“Jacob Zuma will face the consequences of his dirty deeds, no matter how much delaying or dithering he does. It is now up to parliament, the police, and the commission of inquiry to bring justice in this matter,” he added.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/UIJ/ GABON 2017

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