JUST IN: Former South African President Zuma, pleads not guilty to corruption charges

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has pleaded not guilty to corruption, fraud, and money laundering charges relating to a 1999 arms deal when he was deputy president.

Moreso, he faces a separate inquiry into corruption during his time as president from 2009 to 2018; he is accused of accepting 500,000 rands ($34,000) annually from French arms company Thales, in exchange for protecting the company from an investigation into the $2bn deal.

While he appeared in his normal dark suit and a red tie, Zuma was impassive as he faced the court in the eastern city of Pietermaritzburg, where numerous supporters and relatives were gathered.

“I plead not guilty,” Zuma said without hesitating.

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Zuma’s plea concludes years of delay in the long-awaited trial, which many South Africans say will deliver the verdict of history on his turbulent presidency.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) initially filed the charges against Zuma a decade ago but set them aside shortly before he successfully ran for president in 2009. Following appeals and lobbying by opposition parties, the NPA reinstated the charges in March 2018, a month after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party forced him out of office.

Thales was known as Thomson-CSF at the time of the deal. It has said it had no knowledge of any transgressions by any of its employees in relation to the award of the contracts. Its representative in court also pleaded not guilty to the racketeering, corruption, and money laundering charges the company faced.