A South African court on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma after he failed to appear before the court on grounds of needing medical treatment, reported Reuters.
Jacob Zuma held office from 2009 to 2018. He currently faces charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering in connection to a $2.5bn deal to buy European military hardware for South Africa’s armed forces in the late 1990s. The 78-year-old denies all the charges against him and claims that he has been framed as part of a politically motivated plan.
Zuma’s legal team had informed the court that he was receiving medical care outside the country. The team said the former president had two operations in early January before going abroad and his illness was a matter of state security.
Daniel Mantsha, Zuma’s lawyer, presented a document from a military hospital to excuse his client.
But, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Dhaya Pillay questioned whether the note submitted as evidence of Zuma’s illness was valid or even signed by a medical doctor.
“What this court requires is evidence. Some authentic, reliable proof that Mr. Zuma is indeed ill and when he will be available to stand trial,” said Pillay in her ruling.
The prosecutors said it was a criminal offense not to fully explain an absence from the court on medical grounds.
Mantsha said that it was disappointing that the court doubted Zuma’s illness and they were now considering their options. He said that Zuma’s medical team, including the military and doctors abroad, would determine his fitness to appear before the court in May. It currently remains unclear when the former president would make a return from Cuba.
Notably, the court stayed the execution of the warrant until May 6, when the trial is scheduled to resume, to allow his defence team to convince the court that he is ill.
