Johannesburg – The State would need another seven months to prepare for Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial, Beeld newspaper reported on Thursday. 

It said an application for a postponement of the case until after February next year was handed in at the Durban High Court on Wednesday. Arguments on the application would be heard on July 31. 

The prosecution was expected to tell the court that it, as well the Zuma’s legal teams and that of Thint would only be able to start the case in the first half of next year, but after February. 

The delay was due to a number of court cases on the legality of raids executed by the Scorpions in August last year. 

Five applications to have the raids declared unlawful were handed in. Zuma is alleged to have received financial bribes over a number of years in turn for political influence in the multi-billion dollar arms deal.

 Thint, a French company, allegedly bribed Zuma in 2000 to protect the company in an investigation into the arms deal.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and The Citizen.