In a landmark judgment, the Pretoria High Court has ordered former President Jacob Zuma to repay nearly R30 million in legal fees that the state covered for his corruption trial. This ruling could lead to the attachment of Zuma's presidential pension benefit by the state.
Judge Anthony Millar ruled that Zuma must pay the state attorney R28.9 million, plus interest, in respect of monies advanced for his legal fees and associated expenses.
Zuma was ousted from power in February 2018, following Cyril Ramaphosa's election as ANC president in December 2017. He and French arms manufacturer Thales face fraud, racketeering, corruption, and money-laundering charges related to the arms deal dating back to the 1990s.
The court has directed the state attorney to issue a writ of execution for the attachment and sale of Zuma's immovable and/or movable property, including his "presidential pension benefit," should he fail to make the repayment within 60 days.
The judgment also requires the state attorney to report to the court every three months until Zuma's debt is satisfied.
Business Day reported in April that Zuma and Thales' legal representatives argued that the deaths of four key witnesses in the arms-deal corruption trial meant neither accused could adduce or challenge evidence, effectively denying them a fair trial and warranting a halt to the prosecution.
Zuma is expected to address a media briefing today.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) hailed the judgment as a victory. "Since 2018, Mr Zuma has evaded repaying millions in legal fees that the state should not have paid on his behalf," said DA MP Willie Aucamp.
"Mr Zuma has benefited from this R28.9m in taxpayer money, over the past seven years. For this reason, the DA joined the court case to ensure that, on top of repaying the public money, Mr Zuma also must repay interest on the money, and the court agreed with the DA," Aucamp added.
The DA emphasized its commitment to the rule of law, the protection of taxpayer money, and the rooting out of state capture. The party said it looks forward to seeing Zuma repay what he owes South Africa, starting with this initial amount of R28.9 million plus interest. The DA also requested that a report be furnished to the court on the progress of the recovery, ensuring transparency for South Africans.
Follow Us on Twitter
