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South African state prosecutor to appeal order to reinstate Zuma corruption charges
President Jacob Zuma looks on as members of Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party raise objections before being evicted from Parliament during his question and answer session in Cape Town, South Africa, May 17, 2016. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
23/05/2016
PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa's state prosecutor said on Monday he would appeal against a High Court ruling which could lead to 783 corruption charges being reinstated against President Jacob Zuma.
The ruling will bring some relief to Zuma as he faces mounting calls to quit from the opposition and even from members of the ruling African National Congress after a damning constitutional court judgment against him in March.
A decision by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in April 2009 to set aside hundreds of charges allowed Zuma to run for president the same month.
The NPA's decision at the time was based on phone intercepts presented by Zuma's legal team that suggested the timing of the charges in late 2007 may have been part of a political plot against Zuma.
But the High Court last month ordered a review of the NPA's decision.
"I have decided to apply for leave to appeal against the judgment," the National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams told a televised media conference on Monday.
He said the law allowed the prosecutor a discretion that can be exercised at various stages of the an investigation, and that the court ruling could dilute the NPA's powers.
"It is also a matter that seriously affects the separation of powers. This is an important matter of principle which affects all prosecutions, it is so important. I believe it needs the decision of an appeal court," Abrahams said.
The hundreds of corruption charges relate to a major government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s.
Zuma said last month that an investigation into the deal had found no evidence of corruption or fraud. Critics denounced the findings as a cover-up and said they would continue to campaign for justice.
(Reporting by Zandi Shabalala and TJ Strydom; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
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