South African court has dismissed former President Jacob Zuma’s attempt to remove the prosecutor from his upcoming corruption trial.
The dismissal came on Wednesday by Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen, on the grounds that Zuma’s attempt to remove the prosecutor “lacks reasonable prospects of success”.
“The application for leave to appeal and all related applications … are all dismissed,” Koen said in court. “The criminal trial shall proceed.”
Zuma’s lawyers had been appealing an earlier ruling rejecting his attempt to have lead prosecutor Billy Downer taken off the corruption case.
