FORMER President Jacob Zuma has slammed the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) after yet another postponement of his corruption trial.
Zuma and the French company, Thales, were due in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday this week.
In a statement issued on behalf of the former president, the Jacob Zuma Foundation criticised the NPA for initially accusing him of delay tactics in the corruption trial.
“The foundation expresses its disappointment with the NPA’s state of un-readiness to proceed with its long awaited trial against President Zuma,” said the foundation in a statement on Sunday.
“For too long the NPA together with the media accused President Zuma of applying delaying tactics. Yet, it is the NPA that is not ready to proceed when President Zuma calls upon it to present its case against him. The silence of the media in this regard is defeaning. Not once is the NPA accused of the so-called “STALINGRAD” when, after almost two decades of media fanfare that the NPA was ready, it is clear that the NPA is the one not ready.”
The foundation called upon the courts to be fair and independent, regardless of the antipathy of certain sections of society towards the former president.
“Justice should be blind and should be equal before the law,” the foundation said in a statement.
Zuma is facing corruption charges from the 1990s multi-billion rand arms deal project, formally known as the Strategic Defence Acquisition.
During the procurement, the State alleges that Zuma pocketed bribes from French arms company, Thales.
As a result, it charged him together with French arms company Thales with corruption and racketeering.
(COMPILED BY INSIDE POLITICS STAFF)
