A South African court has handed over the nation’s former president Jacob Zuma a 15-month prison sentence after finding him guilty of contempt of court for failing to face an inquiry that investigated extensive allegations of corruption during his time from 2009 to 2018.
Zuma was not in court for the verdict on Tuesday and has been ordered to surrender within five days to a police station in his hometown of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province or in Johannesburg.
It is the first time in the history of South Africa that a former president has been sentenced to prison.
The country’s Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, ruled that Zuma defied an order from the country’s Supreme Court by refusing to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry, which is chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
“The Constitutional Court considers that there can be no doubt that Zuma is in contempt of court. Mr Zuma was given the order and it is impossible to draw conclusions about anything other than that he was unequivocally aware of what it demanded of him, says Acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe.
She added that in sentencing Zuma to prison, the court found it impossible to conclude that he would follow any other decision.
“Mr Zuma has repeatedly stated that he would rather be imprisoned than cooperate with the Commission or follow the order made,” Khampepe said.
Zuma has previously expressed his reluctance to appear before the Commission, which has so far heard evidence that directly implicates Zuma in inaccuracies.
In an earlier 21-page letter to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, which the court described as “scandalous”, Zuma claimed he was ready to be sent to prison.
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