Former South African President Jacob Zuma will be prosecuted for corruption relating to a 30 billion rand ($2.5 billion) state arms deal in the late 1990s, the chief state prosecutor said on Friday (March 16). Sarah Charlton reports

The former president of South Africa has been be charged with corruption.

The move against Jacob Zuma seen as a stunning judicial ruling on a continent where political 'Big Men' rarely face their day in court.

The 75-year-old was charged on Friday (March 16) over a $2.5 billion state arms deal.

Only last month, he was forced to resign by the ruling African National Congress.

After he was found to be at the centre of the deal to buy European military kit.

It cast a shadow over politics in Africa's most industrialized economy for years.

While Friday's charge comes as a surprise for some, the chief state prosecutor said Zuma's attempts to head off the charges that have been hanging over him for more than a decade had failed.

He now faces a criminal court - for 16 charges relating to over 780 instances of alleged wrongdoing.

Then deputy president, Zuma was linked to the arms deal through a former financial adviser who was jailed for corruption.

The counts were filed but then dropped by prosecutors shortly before Zuma successfully ran for president in 2009.

Since then, his opponents have fought a lengthy legal battle to have the charges reinstated.

Zuma denies all the charges.