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Zuma underwent unspecified surgery and plans to undergo more operations in the hospital a few days before the corruption trial.
The prison authorities said that the former South African President Jacob Zuma, who was sentenced to prison, underwent unspecified surgery and is still undergoing more surgery plans in the hospital.
Zuma was serving 15 months in Estecourt Prison for contempt of court. He was taken to an outside hospital for observation on August 6, a few days before the start of the corruption trial he has avoided so far.
“Mr. Zuma underwent surgery on Saturday, August 14, 2021, and other operations are scheduled for the next few days,” prison spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said in a statement on Sunday.
Zuma asked the country’s Supreme Court to revoke his imprisonment in July. There was no news about the possible date of his discharge, saying it was unfair and might kill him if he was infected with COVID-19.
Last week, after he was hospitalized, the High Court postponed his corruption trial to September 9. It is not yet clear what Zuma’s health is, and the judge ordered his legal team to issue a medical report before August 20.
Prosecutors can appoint a doctor of their choice to assess whether Zuma is suitable for trial.
The former president was charged with the French arms company Thales and faced 18 charges including corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion and extortion, which were related to the $2.5 billion arms trade in the late 1990s.
Zuma and Thales denied any wrongdoing.
Charges against Zuma were dropped in 2009 by former National Prosecuting Authority head Mokotedi Mpshe weeks before he was elected president.
However, they resumed in 2018, marking one of the longest-running legal battles in the country.
Zuma is currently serving 15 months in prison for contempt of court, and his detention has led to riots and robbery. More than 200 people were killed in the riots and it is estimated that billions of South African rands were lost.
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