Zuma challenging legality of raids in court

Should he win, says a report in The Mercury, the Scorpions will not be able to use the seized documentation against him in his forthcoming trial. It reasons that it is likely that his lawyers, if successful, will argue that Zuma’s right to a fair trial has been compromised, possibly jeopardising his trial. Last night, after a four-hour meeting with Zuma in Johannesburg, his lawyer Michael Hulley confirmed that he would file papers in court ‘as early as next week’, challenging the authorisation of the warrants and the legality of the raids. He declined to say on what grounds the application would be made, saying it would become public once the documents were filed. Full report in The Mercury

News of the Zuma raids continues to bubble in the media. A report in The Mercury says that although the Scorpions secured warrants for 21 of the premises they searched in their quest for evidence last Thursday, they apparently produced no warrant when they searched the home of Anwar Khan in Chatsworth, Durban, that night. Khan is the father-in-law of Erwin Ullbricht, a known associate of Zuma. Ullbricht, a self-employed business consultant, is listed by Zuma in Parliament’s Register of Members’ Interests as having paid for a lavish party in the latter’s honour, which was held at a Durban hotel a few years ago. Full report in The Mercury