Zuma retracts claims that lead prosecutor ‘hates’ him and longs for apartheid
The claims will now not be considered by the judges deciding the former president’s application for a permanent stay of prosecution
Former president Jacob Zuma has agreed to strike out a number of his sworn accusations against the lead prosecutor in the corruption case against him, including, that advocate Billy Downer was a liar too driven by his own hatred of him to be objective about his case. This means that these claims, which include Zuma’s contention that Downer was nostalgic for apartheid-era prosecutions, will not be considered by the judges deciding Zuma’s application for a permanent stay of prosecution. Downer had asked the high court in Pietermaritzburg to “strike”, or remove, more than a dozen “scandalous and vexatious” and “untrue and unwarranted” statements Zuma has made about him in his application for a permanent stay of his corruption prosecution. “First, without any substantiation, Zuma alleges that I hate him … I am blinded by an obsession with his conviction … I seem nostalgic about the manner in which apartheid prosecutions authorities deal with those they considered guilty or undesirable...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.