JOHANNESBURG — Prosecutors said Monday they were dropping corruption charges against ruling-party leader Jacob Zuma, ending a long legal saga just two weeks before national elections that are expected to deliver him the presidency.
The ruling African National Congress hailed the decision by federal prosecutors, who said they had no intention of further pursuing the allegations against Zuma, a former freedom fighter whose campaign was clouded by graft charges stemming from a multimillion-dollar arms deal that took place a decade ago. Zuma and his supporters say he has been the target of a political plot to keep him from the presidency.
But the decision did little to clear Zuma’s name, as South Africa’s head prosecutor, Mokotedi Mpshe, said the prosecuting team believes that its case was strong enough for trial and the move does “not amount to an acquittal.” Instead, he said, phone recordings submitted recently by Zuma’s legal team revealed that former prosecutors and the nation’s former top investigator had tainted the legal process by discussing the political consequences of the timing of the charges.
The decision raised new questions and confusion about the independence of South Africa’s judicial system.
