The Pietermaritzburg High court is expected to hand down judgment on Friday in the application for leave to appeal by former President Jacob Zuma and his co-accused the French arms manufacturer Thales.
They want the full bench to allow them to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal following last month’s High Court judgment which rejected their application for a permanent stay of prosecution.
Both Zuma and Thales will be hoping that the full bench will agree with their arguments that the Supreme Court of Appeal will rule differently on the matter. Thales has also petitioned the Constitutional Court directly as well.
Among Zuma’s arguments was that the court overlooked unfair delays, which he blamed on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and the alleged abuse of the NPA by certain politicians to fight political battles.
The state opposed both applications by Zuma and Thales.
