By Marcus Moloko
Former President Jacob Zuma has lost his Gauteng High Court bid to appeal the order compelling him to repay R28.9 million in state-funded legal fees.
The court dismissed his application for leave to appeal the repayment order and ruled that neither a full bench nor the Supreme Court of Appeal would reach a different conclusion.
The ruling means Zuma must repay the funds within 60 days or risk assets, including his presidential pension, being seized.
This case stems from years of litigation where opposition parties, including the DA and EFF, challenged the state’s funding of Zuma’s private legal battles.
It follows another Zuma legal battle.
On Thursday, Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court for proceedings in his long-running arms deal corruption case. The matter is yet to come to trial.
He appeared alongside representatives of French arms company Thales, his co-accused, as both sought leave to appeal a ruling that dismissed their bid to halt the prosecution.
Zuma faces multiple charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, and racketeering linked to South Africa’s controversial multibillion-rand arms procurement programme.
Thales is accused of agreeing to pay him bribes through payments allegedly facilitated by his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, who was convicted of fraud and corruption in 2005.
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