A South African court has ruled that the corruption case against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma cannot go ahead. He was facing charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering relating to a multi-billion dollar 1999 arms deal.
The dropping of the case was based on a procedural point of law and had “nothing to do with the guilt or otherwise of the applicant” said Judge Chris Nicholson. Mr Zuma, 66, is now free to stand in forthcoming presidential elections.
The charges against the African National Congress (ANC) leader related to South Africa’s largest post-apartheid arms deal, involving contracts totaling 30bn rand ($3.7bn; £2bn) to modernize its national defense force.
The deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Britain, France and South Africa.
Mr Zuma was sacked as South Africa’s deputy president in 2005, when his financial adviser was found guilty of soliciting a bribe on behalf of Mr Zuma and jailed for 15 years in connection with the deal.
He then went on trial, but the case collapsed in 2006 when the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed.
He was charged again last December shortly after winning a bitter campaign against President Thabo Mbeki to become ANC leader in what his allies say was a political conspiracy to prevent him becoming president.
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