Foundation insists it will meet Maughan in court
THE JGZ Foundation said it will meet journalist Karyn Maughan in court next month.
The foundation insists that the law was broken when Maughan, a journalist from Media24, and senior state prosecutor advocate Billy Downer SC exposed confidential medical information of former president Jacob Zuma.
Zuma launched a private prosecution against Maughan and Downer.
Three weeks ago they were served with summonses and they are expected to appear in court on October 10.
Spokesperson for the foundation, Mzwanele Manyi, said: “Here we are dealing with an unlawful private deal between Downer and Maughan where unfiled and uncommissioned information from the NPA was shared. Why is it complicated to understand that the law was broken? That medical record is aggravating circumstances but a secondary issue.”
Maughan does not want to have her day in court. This week she filed an urgent application in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, asking it to set aside Zuma’s private prosecution.
Independent Media is in possession of a 34-page court paper filed by
Maughan. Maughan in the court paper said, “This application is directed at setting aside the summons and interdicting Zuma from pursuing a private prosecution against me on the meritless charges in his indictment.”
She said the summons was unlawful, vexatious, an abuse of the process of court, and should be set aside.
Maughan added: “A simple review of the facts, all of which are well known to Zuma and are succinctly set out in a judgment by Judge Piet Koen, makes it clear that the charges are without any merit at all.”
She said: “I have been repeatedly maligned and threatened, including by members of Zuma’s family and his representatives at the JGZ Foundation, for doing my job.”
NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga confirmed the NPA was funding Downer’s legal representation.