In a judgment that could result in former president Jacob Zuma’s presidential pension benefit being attached by the state, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ordered that he repay nearly R30m that the state covered for his corruption trial.
On Wednesday, judge Anthony Millar ruled that Zuma must pay the state attorney R28.9m in respect of monies advanced for his legal fees and associated expenses.
He was ousted from power in February 2018 after Cyril Ramaphosa was elected ANC president in December 2017.
Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thales face fraud, racketeering, corruption and money-laundering charges relating to the arms deal dating back to the 1990s.
In addition to the payment of R28.9m, Zuma was ordered to pay interest to the state attorney.
In the event he failed to do so within 60 days, the state attorney was directed to have a writ of execution issued by the registrar of the court for the attachment and sale in execution of immovable and/or movable property, including “his presidential pension benefit”.
The judgment states in part that the state attorney shall report by affidavit to the court within three months of the date of the order and thereafter every three months until “the first respondent’s judgment debt is satisfied”, among others.
Business Day reported in April that legal representatives for Zuma and Thales had argued that the deaths of four key witnesses in the arms-deal corruption trial meant that neither accused could adduce or challenge evidence, effectively meaning they would not get a fair trial and the prosecution should be halted.
Zuma was expected to address a media briefing on Thursday.
