15 months sentenced former President Jacob Zuma, will not be going to jail any time soon as the Constitutional Court agreed to hear his application for a rescission of its contempt ruling against him.
Zuma was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment after he defied the apex court’s ruling that he appear before the State Capture Inquiry and answer questions that did not implicate him in specific crimes.
According to news24, Zuma launched urgent legal action to undo the contempt finding made against him or plead for a lesser sentence than the 15 months he currently faces, the Constitutional Court agreed that it would hear his rescission application on 12 July.
The Court’s directions effectively suspend its committal orders against him, under which police had three days to arrest him if he didn’t hand himself over to authorities by Sunday.
After refusing to make any submissions on the sanction he should face, Zuma now argues that sending him to prison would amount to a “death sentence”.
He also denies he is guilty of contempt.
The Inquiry is opposing his rescission application and had until Tuesday to file papers in response to his arguments.
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