A court in Polokwane has thrown out the corruption case against Julius Malema, the leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters and a former leader of the ANC youth wing.
Following several earlier delays, the judge said on Tuesday that he would rather dismiss the trial than set aside another date. The trial, which was scheduled to begin on Monday after being adjourned in September last year, had been postponed until Tuesday because one of the four ‘business associates’ facing trial with Malema was too ill to appear in court.
An outspoken critic of corruption, Malema is accused of receiving $400,000 from involvement in corrupt road construction projects. The charges include fraud, corruption, racketeering and money-laundering. If convicted, Malema could have spent a maximum of 15 years in prison, paid a large fine and would have lost his seat in parliament.
Under South African law, the accused are not immune from being charged again in the future.
Malema and his supporters have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, saying his prosecution is a punishment for accusing President Jacob Zuma of corruption. In August last year, Malema led “pay back the money” chants against Zuma, triggering scuffles in parliament. He demanded that Zuma repay the $24m of taxpayers’ money spend on “security upgrades” at his extravagant private campus.
Malema himself, along with four associates, is accused of lying to win a public works construction contract in his home province of Limpopo, worth $4.6m. The proceeds are alleged to have been used to help buy Malema a luxury Mercedes Benz Viano and a large farm.
