South African Ex-President Zuma To Face Corruption Trial On Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2021) Former South African President Jacob Zuma will appear in court on Tuesday to face charges of corruption in a case dating more than two decades.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court in the province of KwaZulu-Natal will hear a lawsuit filed by the state against Zuma and French defense firm Thales over illicit arms dealings.

The case centers on Thales allegedly bribing Zuma, then deputy president, to protect it from a money laundering and fraud probe over a multi-billion Dollar contract it signed with the African nation in 1999.

Zuma, 78, is also under investigation over state corruption that flourished during the nine years of his presidency. He was forced out of power in 2018 amid the sprawling corruption scandal.