South African Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Ex-President Zuma After Failure To Appear In Court

A South African court has issued an arrest warrant for the nation’s former president, Jacob Zuma, who was absent from the court on Tuesday.

The high court judge, Dhaya Pillay who disagreed with  Zuma’s lawyer’s claim regarding his absence, also said that the warrant would be delayed until May 6.

The former leader is on trial regarding issues bordering on fraud and money laundering to the tune of $2 billion, over arms deal with French defense firm Thales in 1999, according to Reuters.

But in a previous tweet by the former leader, he denied the allegations adding that his leadership was a transparent one.

It must be known that I have nothing to hide. If the @PublicProtector wants to see my SARS records she is free to do so. We should not make the job of the PP difficult. If she wants my records, she must have them.

— Jacob G Zuma (@PresJGZuma) November 12, 2019

Reuters reports that Zuma’s lawyer presented the judge with a sick note from what he said was a military hospital, but Judge Dhaya Pillay questioned whether the note was valid, as there was no medical number showing if and where the doctor was certified.

“I don’t even know if [he] … is a doctor. There is … nothing to suggest that he is,” she said.

“The court accepts that Mr Zuma may be unwell, but this court needs reliable evidence that Mr Zuma is indeed ill.”

The state prosecutor, Billy Downer also alleged that it is wrong for the leader, who was in office between 2009 and 2018, to be absent from court.