Zuma lawyer blames Julius Malema 'vendetta'
EFF bid to stop state funding for former president’s defence could interfere with rights to fair trial, court told
Former president Jacob Zuma’s lawyer has accused EFF leader Julius Malema of pursuing an unjust "personal vendetta" against him — one that includes trying to block continued state funding for his defence in the corruption trial."The [EFF’s] pursuit against Mr Zuma is undoubtedly influenced by politics more than principle — if not a personal vendetta of Mr Malema," attorney Lugisani Mantsha stated in court papers filed on Friday."This is evidenced by the [EFF’s] constant pronouncements of labelling Mr Zuma a criminal."Stopping state funding of Zuma’s defence now would "interfere with Mr Zuma’s fair trial rights", he added."It would be unfair to order that the funding that has supported his defence against these vicious allegations is withdrawn at this stage when he is starting to prepare for the proceedings."Mantsha was responding to a legal bid by the EFF to overturn a 2006 deal between Zuma, the state attorney and then president Thabo Mbeki to pay the costs of Zuma’s defence in hi...
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