Court has dismissed Former President Zuma application for a permanent stay of prosecution now he will have to face trial on corruption charges.
Jacob Zuma, who is accused of taking bribes from French defence company Thales in the 1990s, sought to have the case permanently dropped in March.
It is uncertain how long the trial will last and when South Africans will have answers for a case that has been going on for almost 15 years.
Zuma’s lawyers said that the case is politically motivated and the years of delay will result in an unfair trial.
But the trial is now expected to begin on Tuesday after High Court Judge Willie Seriti ruled Zuma’s “application for the permanent stay is dismissed”.
The judge agreed with the prosecution that parts of Zuma’s arguments to have the case thrown out were “scandalous and or vexatious”.
High court ruling was handed down in less than two minutes,However former president has the option to approach the Supreme Court to appeal this judgement and perhaps further delay his day in court.
“Zuma has said for a long time that he wants to have the opportunity appear in court, but at the same he also tried to delay his appearance.”
Zuma, 77, has been charged with 16 counts of fraud, racketeering, and money-laundering relating to a multimillion-dollar arms deal dating back to before he took office in 2009.
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The charges were first brought in 2005. They were dropped by prosecutors in 2009, shortly before Zuma became president, and reinstated in 2016.
He is alleged to have taken the bribes during his time as a provincial economy minister and later as deputy president of the ruling African National Congress in the 1990s.
Jacob Zuma was forced to resign last year over a separate corruption scandal.
Court dismissed Former President Jacob zuma attempt to have the charges dropped.
