27 May 2022
The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) has confirmed that Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) President Mandisa Maya has dismissed former president Jacob Zuma’s latest legal bid to force the removal of prosecutor Billy Downer from his corruption trial.
In a statement released on Thursday night, the OCJ also strongly denied any suggestion that the delays in the SCA dealing with two Zuma appeals – his corruption trial reconsideration application and his bid to appeal a court ruling that he had been unlawfully granted medical parole – had been deliberate.
“It is most unfortunate that the delays on these two matters have been directly attributed to the President of the SCA, Justice Maya. Some reports have suggested that the delays were a deliberate act on her part. The facts in this regard do not support these assertions,” the OCJ stated.
While Zuma’s lawyers had filed that application on 11 April, Downer told the Pietermaritzburg High Court that it was still “on its way” to her.
“President Maya became seized with it [the reconsideration application] on 17 May 2022 and not since March 2022 as has been widely reported in the media,” the OCJ stated.
“According to a statement by the SCA, President Maya dismissed the application on 20 May 2022. We will now focus on ensuring that the trial resumes on 15 August 2022.”
Source News24
