Former South African president Jacob Zuma will attend a judicial inquiry into government graft during his tenure, his lawyer confirmed. Zuma was forced out of office last year by the African National Congress party over corruption allegations, scandals, and economic decline.
“He is going to the commission as invited” from July 15-19, Zuma’s lawyer Daniel Mantsha said on Tuesday.
However, “our client remains of the view that the commission is prejudiced against him and lacks the requisite impartiality,” Mantsha noted in a letter sent to the inquiry seen by Reuters.
In the letter, Zuma’s lawyer, Mantsha, said his client believed the inquiry was prejudiced and lacked the required impartiality against him. He made the request to the commission to give Zuma the list of questions in advance so that he could meaningfully respond. It currently remains unclear if he would testify or cross-examine any witness when he appears before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture next month.
Zuma has been implicated in corruption and state capture allegations by a number of witnesses including former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and former GCIS director-general Themba Maseko.
The former president denies all the corruption allegations against him. The inquiry will investigate corruption allegations related to state firms Eskom and South African Airways, which are in drowning in debt after years of mismanagement.
Zuma is accused of granting the Gupta business family, comprising of three brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta, improper control of government functions, including the appointment of ministers. It is argued that the Gupta family unduly influenced Zuma during his presidency about political appointments and the awarding of state contracts.
The Guptas have denied the accusations saying they have been victims of a political attack. They have since closed their South African operations, which cover mining, media, and technology, and moved back to India.
