A
court has ruled that South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma must
pay back the money provided for his legal fees. It is estimated that the
state has paid between $1m (£792,000) and $2.2m in legal costs for him.
Zuma has been fighting multiple allegations of corruption for more
than a decade and has incurred millions of dollars in legal fees. The
court's decision marks the end of a poor year for Zuma, who was forced
out of office in February. His successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been
working to restore public confidence in the country's prosecution
service. Ramaphosa recently admitted that an agreement between Zuma and
former President Thabo Mbeki had formed the basis of the decision to
continue paying Zuma's legal fees, more than a decade ago. A judge has
now declared the agreement invalid and ordered the state attorney to
take steps to recover all legal costs incurred. Zuma has a large family,
and has often sought financial support from business associates a habit
that lies at the heart of the many corruption scandals that have
engulfed him. He faces 16 charges of fraud, corruption and money
laundering stemming from hundreds of payments made to him in relation to
a 1990s arms procurement deal but Zuma denies any wrongdoing.Court orders Jacob Zuma to refund over $1m to the South African government as legal fees which was expended on him
A
court has ruled that South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma must
pay back the money provided for his legal fees. It is estimated that the
state has paid between $1m (£792,000) and $2.2m in legal costs for him.
Zuma has been fighting multiple allegations of corruption for more
than a decade and has incurred millions of dollars in legal fees. The
court's decision marks the end of a poor year for Zuma, who was forced
out of office in February. His successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been
working to restore public confidence in the country's prosecution
service. Ramaphosa recently admitted that an agreement between Zuma and
former President Thabo Mbeki had formed the basis of the decision to
continue paying Zuma's legal fees, more than a decade ago. A judge has
now declared the agreement invalid and ordered the state attorney to
take steps to recover all legal costs incurred. Zuma has a large family,
and has often sought financial support from business associates a habit
that lies at the heart of the many corruption scandals that have
engulfed him. He faces 16 charges of fraud, corruption and money
laundering stemming from hundreds of payments made to him in relation to
a 1990s arms procurement deal but Zuma denies any wrongdoing.
