Costs issue could delay Zuma trial

Lawyer warns of potential hurdle

Former president Jacob Zuma’s lawyer said yesterday that uncertainty over who is responsible for the costs of his defence against corruption charges will delay his prosecution – until the courts decide whether Zuma gets state funding or not.

Attorney Michael Hulley has confirmed that the services of the advocates who would have challenged the decision by prosecutions head Shaun Abrahams had been terminated.

He warned that this casts doubt over whether Zuma would go on trial in November‚ which is when the state has said it would be ready to proceed with his prosecution.

“In the same way that the fees have stalled the review‚ I suppose it will stall all else until the courts have made a determination on the question of the entitlement to state aid‚” Hulley told TimesLIVE.

In other words‚ Zuma will argue that his trial cannot go ahead until the high court rules on applications by the DA and EFF to challenge the continued state funding of his defence – and to force him‚ and his lawyers‚ to pay back the money already spent on fees.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to indicate whether he will oppose those applications‚ but Zuma has indicated he will fight them. It is unclear how he will fund this‚ which will be crucial to how he will pay his future legal costs.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said the state had not received any legal challenge from Zuma in relation to Abrahams’s decision that he should go on trial.