​Zuma heads to SCA to continue ‘spy tapes’ court battle

President Jacob Zuma has filed his replying affidavit to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, challenging a court ruling that he should face corruption charges.

In June, the high court in Pretoria dismissed Zuma’s leave to appeal its corruption decision.

The National Prosecuting Authority and Zuma’s lawyers wanted leave to appeal the court’s ruling on April 29 that the decision to discontinue the prosecution against Zuma on 783 corruption charges should be reviewed and set aside.

• TIMELINE:  How the spy tapes saga continues to haunt Zuma since 2001

Judge Aubrey Ledwaba said that then-NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe had acted irrationally after coming under pressure.

Hilton Epstein, for the NPA, argued before the court earlier this month that Mpshe would have acted in bad faith if he had continued with the prosecution, knowing there had been an abuse of the prosecutorial process.

On April 6 2009, Mpshe said transcripts of telephone conversations between then-Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy and former NPA boss Bulelani Ngcuka showed political interference in the decision to charge Zuma.

The charges were withdrawn in the high court in Durban on April 7 2009. – News24