Former South African president Jacob Zuma is to face corruption charges over a $2.5 billion arms deal, as a years-old scandal returned to haunt him within weeks of his fall from power.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams made the announcement at a media conference on Friday. He said former president Jacob Zuma would go on trial for the 2009 string of charges that had been brought against him.
“I am of the view that there are reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution of Mr Zuma on the charges listed in the indictment,” Abrahams said.
National Prosecuting Authority in The KwaZulu-Natal will facilitate the trial.
The charges relate to a R30-billion government arms deal in the late 1990s. Zuma — then deputy president — was linked to the deal through Schabir Shaik, his former financial adviser who was jailed for corruption.
Shaik was released on medical parole in March 2009, after serving just over two years of his 15-year sentence.
This means Zuma’s attempts to head off the charges hanging over him for more than a decade has failed.
The former South African leader was beset by scandal during his tenure as president.
Jacob Zuma has also been implicated by South Africa’s anti-corruption watchdog in a 2016 report that alleges the Gupta family used links with him to win state contracts. An inquiry on the influence-peddling allegations is due to start soon.