High Court judge Piet Koen on Wednesday dismissed former South African president Jacob Zuma’s appeal to the court to remove prosecutor Billy Downer from handling a case in which he is accused of benefitting from a multibillion-dollar arms deal in the 1990s.
Zuma filed the appeal in January, accusing Downer of being personally biased against him in the alleged arms scandal case.
He said he wanted Downer removed to be replaced by another prosecutor.
Handing down judgment, Koen told the court that resorting to an appeal while the matter was heading to trial was not in the best interest of justice.
The criminal trial would, therefore, start on April 11 as originally ruled in 2021, he said.
Zuma and French arms dealer Thales are facing multiple charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering in a 1999 US$2 billion arms deal.
His financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was convicted for his involvement in the same case before Zuma granted him a medical parole to regain his freedom in 2011.
NM/jn/APA