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On Monday, the Supreme Court of appeal heard former president Jacob Zuma’s appeal against the High Court ruling to overturn his medical parole.
Zuma was given a 15-month sentence for failing to attend an inquiry into state capture during his presidency, however, only served two months and was released from prison on 5 September 2021.
Arthur Fraser, who happens to be Zuma’s long-time ally, was the correctional services commissioner at the time of Zuma’s release and made the decision to parole him.
The basis of his decision was that Zuma’s medical condition meant that he was “terminally ill”. However, his medical records have never been published.
Three months later, the Pretoria High Court ruled against the decision to parole the former president and ordered him to return to prison to complete his sentence.
Zuma and Fraser’s legal team led by Advocate Dali Mpofu appealed against this ruling on Monday. However, the judges seemed unconvinced by the reasons behind Zuma’s release.
The judges who heard the arguments from Zuma’s legal team were led by Justice Nambitha Dambuza.
Judge Glen Goosens questioned why Zuma’s medical records had not been released to the public.
