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Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma has submitted his representations to say why he should not face prosecution for the 2009 Spy Tapes saga to the National Prosecuting Authority late on Wednesday evening.
The representations were initially supposed to be submitted in November 2017, but National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams extended the deadline to January 31, 2018.
NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku has confirmed that the president's legal representatives submitted his representations at 21:00 at the NPA offices.
A Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling dismissed Zuma's and the NPA's application to appeal a high court ruling that the dropping of the corruption charges against him by then NPA boss Mokotedi Mpshe was "irrational".
Mpshe dropped the charges, based on the so-called "Spy Tapes", which were presented to him by Zuma's legal team.
The tapes were made up of recordings of telephone conversations between then Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy and former NPA boss Bulelani Ngcuka which Zuma’s legal team claimed showed political interference in the decision to charge the now president of South Africa.
Also read: Zuma expected to make new representations on corruption charges
On Wednesday, the DA released a statement saying it had written to Abrahams asking to be provided with a copy of Zuma's submissions.
"The DA is entitled to Zuma's full submission as the main litigant in this case, which has dragged on for almost a decade and cost ordinary South Africans an estimated R30 million or more in legal fees," said James Selfe, chairperson of the DA federal council.
The party said it would engage thoroughly with the content and continue to ensure that Zuma has his day in court.
"For too long Zuma has evaded his day in court. Any other citizen would have had to answer to such charges in court, yet Zuma has been given special treatment and been allowed to make fresh representations on the same charges he faced in 2009," said Selfe.
