Former deputy president Jacob Zuma has questioned the impartiality of Judge Hilary Squires in finding businessman Schabir Shaik guilty of fraud and corruption.

This emerged from Zuma's first newspaper interview - published on Friday - since President Thabo Mbeki sacked him last week.

Zuma suggested the Durban High Court trial of Shaik, who acted as his financial advisor, was a political one.

"In 1963, I was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Justice Steyn. It was a political trial," he told the Mail & Guardian.

"I listened to Judge Squires and there was nothing different to what I heard 42 years ago in terms of the political judgement."

Shaik was sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison for his crimes. In his judgment about two weeks ago, Squires said the relationship between Zuma and Shaik was "generally corrupt".

Zuma said Squires was a politician who served as a judge and a cabinet minister in the former Rhodesia, which later became Zimbabwe.

"So, we are not talking about someone who has simply studied law."

Zuma also raised questions about a decision to allow live media coverage of the judgment.

"The media was asked not to be in court during the trial but it was invited when the judgment was given," he said.

"I'm not sure that isn't political."

Zuma described the judgment as a rehash of the prosecution's case without any of the background.

He added: "I'm not criticising this, but there are too many coincidences that feed into the notion that the case was politically driven."

With acknowledgements to Sapa and Independent Online.