August 12 2005: Judge Bernard Ngoepe grants an application in the Pretoria High court authorising 21 search warrants against Jacob Zuma and his associates.

August 18 2005: More than 250 Scorpions are involved in simultaneous raids on Zuma, his lawyers Michael Hulley and Juleka Mahomed, French arms dealer Thint and others.

August 26 2005: Mahomed successfully lodges an application to have the warrants declared unlawful. The State lodges notice of appeal.

October 26 2005: Zuma and Hulley lodge a similar application in the Durban High Court against five of the warrants. The application is granted and the state lodges notice of appeal.

January 5 2006: Thint lodges another application in the Pretoria High Court, but fails. Thint lodges an appeal.

April 2 2007: The Durban High Court issues a letter requesting Mauritian authorities to hand over 14 documents pertaining to an alleged bribe of R500 000 from Thint to Zuma. Zuma and Thint lodge appeals with the Supreme Court of Appeal.

August 27 2007: Zuma, Thint, Hulley, Mahomed and the state all argue their appeals before the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

November 8 2007: The SCA rules in favour of the state regarding the Hulley, Thint and Zuma appeals and the appeal on the Mauritian documents.

The SCA also rules in favour of Mahomed, but grants a preservation order in terms of which the material seized from her is held by the Registrar of the Court for potential prosecution purposes.

With acknowledgement to The Times.