Page 6 - Sam Sole News Today

State prosecutor Billy Downer hits back at Jacob Zuma’s bid to have him recused from the politically charged arms deal corruption trial

The umpteenth sitting of the corruption, fraud and money laundering trial of former president Jacob Zuma and the subsequent tabling of the main legal arguments about why he wants Advocate Billy Downer SC recused as lead prosecutor, has reversed the country back to the spy tapes arguments.

More than a decade after former president Jacob Zuma was served with an indictment accusing him of fraud and corruption, he was finally able to enter a plea at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday.

NPA appoints 4 big guns to fight Jacob Zuma’s attempt to force out Billy Downer Share Pietermaritzburg - Hours after announcing on Wednesday that it intended to fight legal attempts by former president Jacob Zuma to force advocate Billy Downer SC out as the prosecutor of his corruption, fraud and money laundering trial, the NPA has hired four senior counsel to stage a legal fightback. The team of four will be led by Advocate Wim Trengove SC, a legal eagle who previously defeated attempts b...

Day one of Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial stalled on Monday with the former president fighting for the recusal of Billy Downer as lead prosecutor. His legal team subsequently submitted a 141-page document that outlines his special plea explanation. This is not the first time Zuma has sought to...

amaBhungane calls ‘censorship’ as Twitter blocks access to tender exposé 14 May 2021 - 14:29 By Khanyisile Ngcobo Twitters users clicking links to articles on the amaBhungane website were blocked on Friday. Stock photo. Image: 123RF/rawpixel Investigative journalism group amaBhungane said Twitter blocking links to its online articles appeared to be an “attempt at censoring a highly respected news outlet”. The non-profit newsroom’s managing partner Sam So...

WhatsApp The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned that a News24 journalist has been allegedly subject to illegal surveillance and interception from the Crime Intelligence (CI) division which is a worrying trend, internationally, of targeting journalists to curtail factual and honest news coverage. News24 informed SANEF that their lawyer had sent a letter to the acting head of the CI Lieutenant-General Yolisa Mokgabudi, demanding that “those within Crime Intellig...

RICA spy ruling skims deeper rot in surveillance practices When amaBhungane’s investigative journalist Sam Sole discovered that he was the subject of state surveillance, it wasn’t a shock. In Sole’s words, “amaBhungane works at the intersection between business, politics and crime”, where scandal is abundant. When amaBhungane took its case to The Constitutional Court, it was ruled that RICA is unconstitutional. The judgement stated that the Act violates the right to privacy, access to...

South Africa's surveillance legislation used to intercept journalists' communications is declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court has declared the law which governs the communication surveillance activities of the country’s intelligence community unconstitutional. Picture: iStock While the Constitutional Court ruling declaring some spy laws unconstitutional there are still some loopholes in the surveillance law, writes Jane Duncan. South Africa’s Constitutional Court has declared the law which governs the communication surveillance activities of the country’s intelligen...