SA court postpones hearing of Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial

A South African court postponed former President Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial while it considers an application by French arms manufacturer Thales SA to have racketeering charges dropped.

The hearing was delayed until February 23, Judge Nompumelelo Radebe said at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday.

Zuma, who served for almost nine years as South Africa’s president, is facing 16 charges ranging from corruption to racketeering for allegedly taking bribes from arms dealers, including Thales, dating back to the 1990s. Zuma and Thales deny any wrongdoing.