Inside Zuma’s bid to avoid jail time 

Following the announcement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Friday to prosecute former president Jacob Zuma on several corruption charges in connection with the arms deal scandal, Zuma’s legal team reportedly plans to lodge a fresh bid in court to have the case struck off.

But should the trial go ahead, Sunday Times reports that Zuma’s lawyers have devised a multi-pronged strategy to keep him out of jail.

According to the report, his lawyers will argue that he had no intention to commit a crime when he and his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, met with French arms manufacturer Thales. And that Zuma did not try to solicit a R500,000-a-year bribe in exchange for protection in the arms deal investigation.

Among their defences, they would apparently argue that Zuma was simply adhering to ANC policy to support black business. And that some of the more than R4 million he received from Shaik was in the form of loans, which were repaid.

Zuma is expected to be prosecuted on 16 charges of corruption, money laundering and racketeering for 783 payments he received from Shaik.

A number of witnesses have been lined up for the trial to testify on behalf of the NPA. They include high profile witnesses such as Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille and former judge Willem Heath.