With the stage set for former president Jacob Zuma’s arms deal trial to begin, his lawyers have written to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) boss Shamila Batohi demanding that she remove advocate Billy Downer as his lead corruption prosecutor.
The seven-page letter was sent eight days before the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Zuma’s attempt to delay the trial by calling for advocate Downer to be recused through a so-called special plea. Ntanga Nkuhlu Attorneys argued that the prosecutor “has steadfastly failed and/or refused to step down despite numerous requests and demands for him to do so.”
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Zuma’s court bid to have advocate Downer removed failed at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) last week. The appeal court found there was no reasonable reason that the appeal should be heard and dismissed Zuma’s application. The decision by the SCA has paved the way for the trial scheduled to begin on Monday, as agreed by both parties.
In the letter written to Batohi, Downer is accused of sharing information that is confidential like Zuma’s medical records. The records were shared at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in Zuma’s application to have the trial postponed on medical grounds. Downer argued that Zuma’s attorneys violated the NPA’s prosecution policy.
“It is therefore your constitutional duty to intervene by taking all necessary steps aimed at the removal or recusal of Downer from the prosecution,” Zuma’s lawyers said in the letter. According to the report, Zuma’s lawyers will seek postponement of the trial on Monday.
Source: News24, The Citizen, image from
