Overview
- The Pietermaritzburg High Court refused leave to appeal its earlier dismissal of efforts to drop the charges, ruling the corruption trial will proceed.
- Judge Nkosinathi Chili said he was not persuaded that another court would reach a different conclusion on stopping the prosecution.
- The court recorded that the defendants conceded their request to halt the case under Section 6B was incompetent relief.
- Zuma and Thales had sought a permanent stay over delays and the deaths of witnesses Alain Thétard and Pierre Moynot, which prosecutors argued did not erase pivotal evidence.
- The matter was adjourned to 24 April for judgment on a state application and to set a trial timetable in a case that includes alleged Shaik-linked payments and a claimed R500,000‑a‑year bribe from Thales.