South Africa: Former Pres Zuma gets 15-month jail term for refusing to respond to a corruption probe

South Africa's Ex President Zuma Gets 15-Month Jail Term For Contempt Of Court

Former South African President Jacob Zuma is being jailed for contempt of court

PRETORIA, June 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — In a historic ruling, South Africa’s top court handed the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, a 15-month jail term for “egregious” contempt of court after he refused to appear before graft investigators.

Zuma was told to turn himself in within five days, failing which police will be ordered to arrest him and take him to jail.

The Tuesday ruling sets a precedent for South Africa — and a benchmark for the continent — by jailing a former head of state for failing to respond to a corruption probe.

“Mr. Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is guilty of the crime of contempt of court,” Constitutional Court judge Sisi Khampepe said.

“No person is above the law,” she said and made reference to Zuma’s “egregious affront on judicial integrity, the rule of law and the constitution”.

Zuma, 79, is accused of enabling the plunder of state coffers during his nearly nine-year stay in office, which ended calamitously in February 2018 when the ruling African National Congress (ANC) forced him out.

Before he left office, he responded to mounting pressure and set up an investigative commission, headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

The panel has encountered years of resistance from Zuma.

He only testified once, in July 2019, before staging a walkout days later and accusing Zondo of bias.

He then ignored several invitations to reappear, in some cases citing medical reasons and preparations for another corruption trial.

He presented himself again briefly in November but left before questioning and then ignored a court order to return to the panel, forcing an exasperated Zondo to ask the Court to intervene for contempt.

“This kind of recalcitrance and defiance is unlawful and will be punished,” Khampepe said.

“I am left with no option but to commit Mr Zuma to imprisonment, with the hope that doing so sends an unequivocal message… the rule of law and the administration of justice prevails.”

She said Zuma, as an ex-president, was aware of the law yet placed himself “in blatant violation” of a court order, before declaring “an unsuspended” 15-month prison sentence.

She ordered Zuma to hand himself over to the police in Johannesburg or in Nkandla, a rural town in southeastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province where he has a home, within five calendar days.

Failure to “submit himself… the minister of police… must within three calendar days of the expiry stipulated of the period” take all steps to make sure he “is delivered to a correctional centre” to start the sentence, said the judge..

In determining the sentence the court also took into account Zuma’s “scandalous” attacks on the judiciary which it found “certainly constitute aggravating factors”.

Zuma did not immediately react to the judgement, but had in March declared that he was “prepared to go to jail”.

Most of the graft investigated by the commission involve three brothers from a wealthy Indian business family, the Guptas, who won lucrative government contracts and were allegedly even able to choose cabinet ministers.

Zuma is separately due in court in July facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to a 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear from five European arms firms for 30 billion rand, then the equivalent of nearly $5 billion. — NNN-AGENCIES

facebook sharing button
twitter sharing button
messenger sharing button
whatsapp sharing button
sharethis sharing button
administrator

Related Articles