THE latest appeal by former president Jacob Zuma to remove state prosecutor Billy Downer from his corruption case has been dismissed by the Supreme Court of Appeal, paving the way for the start of his corruption trial in the next two weeks.
Zuma has attempted to have Downer removed from the case by claiming that Downer has an axe to grind against him and that he was biased.
He has also accused him of leaking confidential documents to the media.
Zuma has stated that he does not believe he will have a fair trial if Downer stays on the case.
The Bloemfontein court dismissed Zuma’s application with costs and stated that there are “reasonable prospects” that his bid will actually be successful.
Zuma is due back in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on 11 April.
The charges against Zuma are linked to alleged corruption during the arms deal.
- Inside Politics
