Zuma: State ready by Oct 15
2006-09-05 15:25
Pietermaritzburg - The State will be ready to go to trial on October 15 this year when it submits a finalised indictment for Jacob Zuma and his two co-accused, the Pietermaritzburg High Court heard on Tuesday.
"As far as the State is concerned it will be ready to go to trial whenever the court decides and when the defence is ready," State prosecutor Wim Trengove said.
Trengove said the State had suggested early next year to give Zuma and Thint's defence time to study the 500-page KPMG forensic audit and prepare their case.
Earlier Trengove invited Jacob Zuma's legal team to submit evidence taken in controversial search and seizure raids to be adjudicated by Msimang, saying this would speed up the corruption trial and avoid duplication of procedures.
"In the interests of a speedy resolution the trial court will be in a better position to consider the admissibility of the evidence (seized in the raids)," Trengove said.
Challenges
The State said on Tuesday that the status of challenges to the various search and seizure raids conducted in the run-up to the trial were the main reason for the need for a postponement.
He said that while the State did not contest the defence's right to contest the raids, the defence should not be surprised if this led to delays.
"If they exercise their right to litigate (regarding the search and seizure raids) then they (Zuma's defence) can't complain about delays in this case".
He said that the State would go ahead with the trial irrespective of whether the raids were contested.
Manpower
Zuma and his co-accused Thint, subsidiary of a French arms company, are asking that the court dismiss the trial because the case has been prejudiced by unreasonable delays caused by the State.
They also had a manpower problem as the prosecution would also be involved in the appeal of Zuma's financial adviser Schabir Shaik who was sentenced to 15 years for fraud and corruption.
Zuma is accused of having accepted a R500 000 a year bribe from Thint in exchange for protection into a probe into South Africa's controversial multi-billion rand arms deal.
- SAPA