The South African Presidency said on Thursday that it would not discuss the details of the deliberations about funding the legal costs of former deputy president Jacob Zuma — until an agreement is reached.
In a statement released by chief operations officer Trevor Fowler, the Presidency said it had ”noted media reports to the effect that it is considering funding [the] legal costs of former deputy president Jacob Zuma in his forthcoming corruption trial”.
Fowler said: ”The Presidency wishes to place it on record that deliberations between the office of the state attorney and legal representatives of the former deputy president are still continuing.
”As a matter of principle, neither the Presidency nor the office of the state attorney will discuss the details of the deliberations in public until an agreement is reached.”
Zuma’s corruption trial was postponed on Monday to September 5.
He was axed as the nation’s deputy president 14 months ago.
Financial assitance
South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news had reported on Thursday that the Presidency was considering a request from Jacob Zuma for financial assistance in his corruption trial.
It quoted Fowler as saying the matter was being discussed by lawyers.
”The Presidency, through the state attorneys, has been communicating with the attorneys of record of Mr Zuma,” Fowler said.
”They have made an application and we have responded to the application, and we are still awaiting a response from them.”
Zuma earlier claimed his efforts to obtain financial assistance from the government had been fruitless.
Zuma acknowledged on Monday that he was running out of money. In an affidavit handed to the Pietermaritzburg High Court, he accused the office of the state attorney of dragging its feet to provide financing for his legal fees. — I-Net Bridge and Sapa