He will have business with justice. Former South African President Jacob Zuma will be tried for corruption in an old arms case involving the French group Thales, after the unanimous refusal on Friday of a South African court to drop charges against the former head of state. the state.

"The request [...] to abandon the proceedings was rejected," said Judge Willie Seriti of the High Court of Pietermaritzburg (East).

"This is a unanimous decision," he said.

As a result, the trial of the former president will begin Tuesday in Pietermaritzburg.

Jacob Zuma, in power from 2009 to 2018, had demanded the abandonment of the prosecution, considering himself a victim of a "witch hunt", launched twenty years ago in a fantastic case of arms sales.

"Very heavy folder"

But the South African prosecutor had defended their maintenance, given the "very heavy case" against him and in the name of "equality" before the law.

"The request of the prosecutor [...] is accepted," Judge Seriti said Friday.

The former head of state is believed to have received 4 million rand (245 000 euros in the current course) bribes Thales defense group under a contract of armament near 4 billion euros concluded in 1999.

According to the prosecution, he was paid to prevent Thales from prosecuting corruption, via his friend and financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who was sentenced for his participation in the case to 15 years in prison in 2005.

Jacob Zuma and Thales have always denied the allegations.

Engulfed in numerous scandals, President Zuma was pushed to resignation in 2018 and replaced by his vice president Cyril Ramaphosa, who promised to clean his party and the country of corruption.

With AFP