A South African court has granted former president Jacob Zuma leave, to appeal a ruling that he returned to prison after being released in September on medical parole.
He was, however, given permission to spend Christmas at home.
Judge Elias Matojane said: “in my view, this matter merits the Supreme Court of Appeal’s attention.’’
He added that there was a reasonable possibility another court might rule differently on the issue of whether Zuma’s time on medical parole should count toward his sentence. Matojane previously ruled it should not.
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“It means the court order cannot be enforced until the superior court hears the matter and makes a judgment,” Department of Correctional Services spokesperson , Singabakho Nxumalo told Reuters in a Whatsapp message.
The legal processes against Zuma for alleged corruption during his nine-year reign are widely viewed as a test of post-apartheid South Africa’s ability to enforce the rule of law against powerful individuals.
Zuma’s 2009-2018 presidency was marred by allegations of graft and wrongdoing, and he faced a separate corruption trial linked to his sacking as deputy president in 2005, when he was implicated in a 2 billion dollars alleged corrupt arms deal.
He denied wrongdoing in all cases and said he was a victim of politics.
(Reuters/NAN)