Zuma in bid to challenge South Africa graft trial

ANC leader Jacob Zuma launched a final bid in South Africa's highest court yesterday to prevent seized documents being used against him as evidence at a corruption trial that could stop him becoming President.

Mr Zuma, who defeated President Thabo Mbeki for the leadership of the ruling African National Congress in December, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a French arms manufacturer and his former financial adviser.

The trial for corruption, money-laundering, fraud and racketeering is due to start in August and is likely to decide whether Mr Zuma succeeds Mr Mbeki when he has to step down in 2009. Mr Zuma has said he will bow out if convicted.

Mr Zuma and his legal team appeared in the Constitutional Court yesterday, requesting leave to appeal against prosecutors' searches and confiscation of documents in 2005. His legal team and that of arms firm Thint filed simultaneous applications for leave to appeal and this will be heard by a full bench of the Constitutional Court over two days.

Mr Zuma's rise has worried some investors, who fear South Africa could shift away from Mr Mbeki's pro-business policies under his rule, but the power struggle between the men has also stirred concerns of instability.

He says the charges against him are politically motivated.

Mr Zuma's lawyers told the court yesterday that search warrants issued for raids on the properties of Mr Zuma, his lawyers and of Thint were flawed.

"This is an irrelevant document," Mr Zuma's advocate Kemp J. Kemp said.

The warrants were too vague as they did not give enough details of the investigation that led to them being issued, he said. Mr Zuma's team say the search warrants used in raids violated their privacy, property and other rights guaranteed under South Africa's constitution.

There was a heavy police presence outside the court in Johannesburg for the hearing.

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in November that documents seized by the elite Scorpions crime-fighting unit could be used against Mr Zuma when he went to trial. The appeal court also opened the way for South African prosecutors to use documents from Mauritius said to contain evidence that bribes were solicited on behalf of Mr Zuma in return for using his influence in a government arms deal.

While Mr Zuma is also appealing that ruling in the Constitutional Court and in a separate case, he is also trying to block authorities in Mauritius from handing over documents for his trial.