Johannesburg - Judge Piet Koen, the judge who has been presiding over Jacob Zuma’s arms corruption court case, has recused himself.
On Monday, Judge Koen recused himself after he had in 2022 dismissed Zuma’s bid to force out the prosecutor, Billy Downer, whom he accused of leaking confidential medical documents to the media.
This comes after the Constitutional Court initially supported Judge Koen’s decision, saying the former head of state’s application to remove Downer had no reasonable prospects of success.
This latest decision has cleared one of the biggest legal hurdles in the long-winded case that has been going on for more than 15 years.
Reacting to the news, the Jacob Zuma Foundation said it welcomed the decision by Judge Koen to recuse himself from the arms deal-related fraud and corruption trial.
However, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it was disappointed by the judge’s decision because it felt that he had conducted himself fairly during trial proceedings.
On Monday, Judge Koen said he had decided “to recuse myself from the trial” to avoid any risk of compromising the perception of justice.
“I have come to the conclusion, and it was not an easy decision, that I have to recuse myself from the trial.
“It is what the sound administration of justice, the requirements of the Constitution, and my conscience dictate,” he said.
Zuma and representatives from the arms company Thales were not in court on Monday as they were excused from the proceedings.
“The foundation welcomes the sober call by Judge Koen to recuse himself. We hope that the NPA will be guided accordingly and also recuse the criminally accused no. 1, adv. Downer, as the prosecutor of Prez Zuma,” the foundation said.
The spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation, Mzwanele Manyi, said Judge Koen had finally seen the light and made the right decision by removing himself from the trial in order to ensure its impartiality.
“We are elated with this kind of decision by the judge.
“This is a very sober decision, and this is a judge that wants to make sure that the entire process is within the realm of constitutionality. (And that) the entire process is beyond reproach and seen to be objective and fair,” Manyi told Newzroom Afrika on Monday.
The Star