Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Monday, December 9th, 2024

South African Court Orders Ex-President to Jail for Contempt

South African Court Orders Ex-President to Jail for Contempt

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has been found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to 15 months in prison for defying a court order to appear before an inquiry probing wide-ranging allegations of corruption during his tenure from 2009 to 2018.
Zuma was not in court for the ruling on Tuesday and has been ordered to hand himself over within five days to a police station in his hometown of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province or in Johannesburg.
If Zuma fails to turn himself in within five days South Africa’s minister of police and the police commissioner have been ordered to take him into custody within three days.
This is the first time in South Africa’s history that a former president has been sentenced to prison.
“Finally, Zuma will find himself where he belongs - behind bars,” said opposition politician Herman Mashaba in reaction to the sentence.
“This is indeed a victory for all South Africans that have become gatvol (fed up) with those who have looted our country with impunity,” Mashaba, former mayor of Johannesburg and leader of the ActionSA party, said in a statement. “The judgment is equally a victory for the rule of law in South Africa, once again serving to highlight the independence of our judiciary. This is a central pillar of our hard-won democracy.”
Zuma is also facing additional legal woes as he is standing trial to face charges related to bribes that he allegedly received during South Africa’s 1999 arms procurement deal.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his lawyers have applied for the lead prosecutor in his case to step down because of alleged bias against Zuma. (AP)