Supreme Court of Appeal decision puts Zuma's fate back in NPA's hands
Justice Eric Leach says 2016 decision by the High Court in Pretoria to set aside the decision to drop charges against Zuma cannot be faulted
The matter of whether President Jacob Zuma will face corruption charges is back in the hands of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Zuma and the NPA’s bid to appeal a 2016 High Court in Pretoria ruling that the 2009 decision to drop the charges was irrational. Justice Eric Leach, reading out the judgment, said the order by the high court "cannot be faulted”. In April 2009, then acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe dropped the corruption charges based on what became known as the spy tapes, which allegedly showed political interference in the decision. The NPA argued that determining the date for the serving of an indictment on Zuma was politically motivated. The Supreme Court of Appeal found that the motivation behind the timing of serving the indictment would not affect prosecution. Justice Leach said: "The reasons for discontinuing the prosecution provided by Mr Mpshe do not bear scrutiny for the recordings thems...
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