The Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa on Monday ruled that Jacob Zuma, the former President of the country should proceed back to prison to conclude his sentence for contempt of court.
The court revealed that the decision to set Zuma free on early medical parole was not legal.
The Informant247 recalls that Zuma was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment in 2021 after disobeying the order of the court to serve as testimony on a government panel on widespread corruption during his administration as the country’s president.
Zuma was released on medical parole in September 2021 after only serving a fraction of the sentence.
The former had appealed that the ruling and the judgement was pronounced on Monday following the revelation of the department of correctional services in October that his prison facility is no more available.
“In other words, Mr Zuma, in law, has not finished serving his sentence. He must return to the Escourt Correctional centre to do so,” the Supreme Court of Appeal judgement read.
The court held that the a action of the former national commissioner of correctional services to admit Zuma to chance of medical parole against the recommendation of the Medical Parole Advisory Board, a specialist body, was not legal.
“On any conceivable basis, the commissioner’s decision was unlawful and unconstitutional. The high court was correct to set it aside,” the judgement said.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation has not reacted to the new development as at the time of filing the report.
The spokesperson for the department of correctional facilities revealed that the judgement was being looked into and it would likely react later.