The private prosecution case initiated against Billy Downer and Karyn Maughan by former president Jacob Zuma has been postponed until August 4, 2023.
This is so that the court can hear Downer and Maughan’s motions to dismiss the lawsuit.
Zuma served the two with notices to appear in court for a private prosecution in September of last year.
Zuma argues that Maughan and Downer violated the National Prosecuting Authority Act by leaking and publishing confidential medical details (NPA).
In less than one minute, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg postponed the case. This was done to accommodate Maughan’s request to dismiss the private prosecution.
Downer also filed a motion to have the private prosecution declare a violation of court procedures.
This is his most recent attempt to delay his corruption case related to the 1999 arms sale. Zuma and the French firm Thales are charged with corruption, racketeering, and money laundering.
Maughan asserts that he is exploiting the judicial system to threaten, harass, and bully her in order to prevent her from reporting further on Zuma’s corruption case.
She provided three reasons why the hearing should be delayed. One is to note that he did not get a nolle prosequi against her.
A nolle prosequi certificate is a document that declares the NPA has no intention of prosecuting a certain individual. This is an essential aspect of a private prosecution.
Zuma additionally initiated a private prosecution against President Cyril Ramaphosa. He claimed that Ramaphosa failed to respond to a complaint he submitted against Downer.
Ramaphosa obtained an injunction to halt the proceedings last month. The purpose of this application is to assert that the actions are unlawful.
In May, the application will be heard.
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