Pietermaritzburg (The Africa). Former South African President Jacob Zuma will face a corruption trial. A court on Friday ordered the prosecution dismissing his plea for a permanent stay on prosecution.
Zuma, accused of taking bribes from French defense company Thales in 1990, pleaded for the closure of the case in March, terming it politically motivated. He also said that the years-old case would not be properly heard.
The trial is likely to begin from Tuesday after High Court Judge Willie Seriti dismissed Zuma’s appeal. The charges against Zuma (77) first surfaced in 2005, but the prosecution dropped him shortly after he became president in 2009. After this, he was charged again in 2016.