afrol News, 6 October - The leader of South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) will return to the dock in a Durban High Court on 22 October to hear the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) appeal against an earlier ruling that Jacob Zuma was not entitled to representation before he had been charged.

The oral argument would be heard in court, confirmed a spokesperson of NPA Tlali Tlali. The prosecuting body on Monday provisionally withdrew charges against Mr. Zuma's co-accused, South African subsidiaries of French arms manufacturing giant Thales International.

Each of the companies faces charges of racketeering, corruption and money-laundering after they were accused of bribing the ANC leader to cover the alleged irregularities in the multi-million rand arms deal.

Last month, a Pietermaritzburg High Court judge Chris Nicholson blamed the NPA for its failure to press charges against Zuma for the second time without being represented.

The prosecuting agency last week filed an application for leave to appeal against Nicholson's 12 September ruling, which equally led to the forceful resignation of president Thabo Mbeki, the second black leader to rule South Africa in the post-apartheid era.

It did not believe that Nicholson had enough grounds to rule on the establishment of an arms deal inquiry or to comment on the former president's decision to dismiss Zuma as deputy president of the country in 2005.

The NPA also opposes Zuma's claim that he was entitled to representation before being charged in December 2007.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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