–O Adejo
The South African Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that releasing former President Jacob Zuma on medical parole was unlawful and ordered that he be returned to prison to finish his sentence for contempt of court.
Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison in June 2021 for refusing to testify at a government inquiry into widespread corruption during his tenure as South Africa’s President. His arrest the following month sparked an unprecedented wave of violence and looting in a volatile socioeconomic context, killing 350 people. He was released
After serving only a portion of his sentence, he was released in September 2021 for health reasons two months later and placed under judicial supervision. However, in December of the same year, a court returned ordered him to return to prison. The former president filed an appeal, and the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Zuma’s sentence had not yet been completed. They said, “In other words, Mr Zuma has not completed his sentence in law. He must return to the Escourt Correctional Center,” the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled.
It also stated that the former Commissioner of Corrections’ decision to grant Zuma medical parole over the advice of the medical parole advisory board was unlawful. So far, neither Jacob Zuma nor his associates have responded to the judgement.
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