The former South African president will be allowed to walk out of prison for his personal involvement in the case.
Former South African President Jacob Zuma will be allowed to walk out of prison next week for his involvement in a long-running corruption case in person rather than by video link.
The hearing, set to resume on August 10 in the southeastern city of Pietermaritzburg, “will proceed in an open court”, Judge Pete Koen said on Wednesday.
Zuma, 79, began a 15-month prison sentence last month in an unrelated case, an incident that sparked violence and looting.
Shortly after, he appeared for a corruption trial via video link, although his lawyers complained that the online format was unconstitutional and violated his right to consult face-to-face with his lawyers.
Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering related to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and equipment from five European arms firms in 1999, when he was vice president.
He is accused of taking bribes from a firm – the French defense giant Thales – which has been accused of corruption and money laundering.
Next week’s hearing will begin with Zuma’s application seeking the removal of state chief prosecutor Billy Downer from charges of bias and leaking information to the media.
Zuma’s foundation welcomed Coen’s decision to hear the case in open court.
The foundation tweeted, “Constitution wins… Now Mr. Downer, will be properly acted upon.”
During the last meeting, Wim Trangov, a lawyer representing the national prosecutor, dismissed Downer’s requests for denial as “merely a ploy” intended to delay the case further.
Proceedings have been adjourned repeatedly for more than a decade as Zuma fights a rearguard action to drop the charges.
Zuma was ordered to serve a 15-month term for refusing to testify to a commission investigating state corruption under his chairmanship from 2009 to 2019.
Protests initially erupted against Zuma’s imprisonment, but soon escalated into rioting and looting, with surveillance groups being formed to protect the property. Major highways and railroads were closed, while businesses were looted and burned.
The violence turned into the worst unrest since the end of apartheid, leading South Africa’s current president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to call it an attempt at “rebellion”.
At least 337 people are reported to have died during the unrest.
Trade minister Ibrahim Patel said on Thursday that looted businesses across the country had lost nearly five billion rand ($348 million).
The violence was also fueled by the country’s persistently high unemployment rate and despair over economic inequality, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
