South Africa ex-President Zuma’s graft trial postponed again

THE corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma was postponed again Monday as he seeks to have the lead prosecutor removed from the case by claiming he is biased.

Zuma has already succeeded in getting a new judge to oversee his trial.

Zuma, who turned 81 last week, has argued that prosecutor Billy Downer is biased against him and compromises the former leader’s right to a fair trial. Zuma is involved in a separate legal case against Downer and a journalist over the leaking of the ex-president’s medical records by state prosecutors.

Zuma is facing multiple counts of corruption, as well as racketeering, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering, with some of the charges relating to bribes he is alleged to have taken from French arms manufacturing company Thales to provide political protection for an arms deal worth more than $1 billion signed by the South African government in 1999.

Thales,