DA in court today for the review of Zuma legal fees

The Democratic Alliance (DA) represented by the chairperson of its federal executive, James Selfe, will be at the High Court in Pretoria today to attend the review of the agreements between the presidency and former president Jacob Zuma regarding legal costs incurred by Zuma for his criminal prosecution.

The matter will be heard before a full bench today and tomorrow.

In March, the DA filed papers asking that the agreement be reviewed, declared invalid, and set aside.

Selfe said in a statement on Tuesday: “It has been confirmed that the state has already spent at least R15.3 million on Mr. Zuma’s legal fees. The DA is of the view that the public can no longer be burdened with Mr Zuma’s legal fees and that every single cent should be refunded to the public.”

It was reported a few months ago that Zuma’s personal legal costs covered by the state have increased from the previously announced R15.3 million to R16.8 million.

In a letter from the presidency dated August 28, 2018, addressed to the speaker of parliament, it stated that according to updated information from the department of justice: “The total cost to the state of the former president’s legal fees is R16,788,781.14”.

READ MORE: Zuma’s state covered legal fees up from R15.3 m to R17m

Zuma’s successor, Cyril Ramaphosa told parliamentarians earlier this year that the costs arose from a request by Zuma that the state pay for his legal expenses.

The president said the request was approved by the presidency based on advice from the state attorney’s office and the department of justice and constitutional development at the time.

Ramaphosa added that the former president signed an undertaking to pay back the money if it was found that he had acted in his personal capacity and own interests when carrying out the offences he was charged for.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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