Judge defers ruling in Zuma graft hearing to September 12 (Roundup)

Aug 5, 2008, 10:53 GMT

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa - The judge hearing an application by South Africa's ruling African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma to have corruption charges against him thrown out reserved judgement Tuesday in the case.

Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Chris Nicholson said that given the complexity of the case he would reserve judgement in the application until September 12.

The judge ruled that the provisional date for the main case against Zuma should remain December 8. But the state and Zuma will get an opportunity to haggle over that date at a hearing set aside specifically to deal with the matter on August 15.

In December last year Zuma, who is the ANC's candidate for president in 2009 elections, was charged with corruption, racketeering, fraud and money laundering in a 1990 state arms deal.

Zuma, 66, had brought an application before the court to have the charges against him thrown out on the basis that the state did not allow him to make representations about the charges before indicting him.

Counsel for the state, Wim Trengrove, argued Tuesday that Zuma's claims that the state had acted illegally were 'scurrilous and irrelevant to the causes of action.'

Zuma appeared relaxed on the second and last day of the proceedings, saluting dozens of supporters from the ANC and the allied trade union movement and Communist Party allies as he entered the courtroom.

Outside, hundreds of Zuma supporters that have been maintaining a vigil outside the court since Sunday night eagerly awaited a speech from him on the case.

Zuma was first charged with corruption over the multibillion- dollar arms deal in 2005 but the case was thrown out of the same Pietermaritzburg court in 2006 over prosecution delays in submitting evidence.

Armed with fresh evidence the state brought new charges against him in December 2007, a few days after he romped to victory over Mbeki in an ANC leadership race.

Zuma's supporters claim the state's tenacious pursuit of the case, and the timing of the latest charges, are part of a political plot to bar him from becoming president - a charge state prosecutors deny.