Zuma appeals to ConCourt
2008-02-14 16:27
Johannesburg - African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma is asking the Constitutional Court to strike down a court ruling allowing documents seized from him and his lawyer to be used in his corruption case.
Zuma, elected president of the ANC in December, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a French arms manufacturer. He is scheduled to go on trial for corruption, money-laundering, fraud and racketeering in August.
In a filing provided to Reuters by his lawyer, Zuma and defence attorney Michael Hulley argue that investigators violated their rights, including their right to privacy, when they raided properties belonging to Zuma and Hulley in 2005.
"We submit in the circumstances that constitutional matters (and constitutional matters of substance) are therefore raised in this application," Zuma and Hulley said in their appeal of a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling in November.
That court had ruled that the documents seized by South Africa's elite FBI-style Scorpions anti-corruption unit could be used against Zuma when went to trial, despite finding some problems with the warrants.
Zuma's trial is due to begin in August and could deal a blow to his hopes of succeeding President Thabo Mbeki in 2009.
Zuma became the frontrunner to take over after defeating Mbeki for the leadership. Mbeki is barred from seeking a third term as president.