Former South African president’s bid to remove arms deal prosecutor dismissed

A court in South Africa has dismissed former President Jacob Zuma's bid to remove a prosecutor in a corruption case against him.

Mr Zuma's legal team has accused state prosecutor Billy Downer of bias in the arms deal graft case.

The former president failed to prove how Mr Downer’s continued presence as his prosecutor would violate his fair trial rights, the Kwazulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg ruled on Wednesday.

This is the second time Mr Zuma has tried and failed to remove Mr Downer from the arms deal trial.

In May 2021, he unsuccessfully challenged the prosecutor's removal in court.

Mr Zuma is facing 16 charges of corruption over a multi-billion dollar arms deal, in a case that has dragged on for years as the former president challenges attempts by the prosecution to put him on trial.