CAPE TOWN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The South African Presidency pledged on Thursday to abide by a court ruling which bars the state from funding former President Jacob Zuma's legal fees in his criminal defence litigation.
The Presidency will abide by the court's decision, in line with a notice to this effect filed with the court, presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko said.
This came after the North Gauteng High Court ruled on Thursday that Zuma himself must pay the legal fees for his pending cases.
"The Presidency has noted the judgment of the Gauteng North High Court on the personal legal costs of former President Jacob Zuma," Diko said.
The Presidency specifically notes the court's interpretation of the applicable law, said Diko.
The court said that if the state is burdened with the high legal costs of public office bearers charged with fraud and corruption, the taxpayer bears the burden and poor communities continue to be denied services.
The court ordered Zuma to pay back the money already incurred by the state in his criminal defence litigation.
The state has spent over 30 million rand (2.1 million U.S. dollars) on Zuma's legal fees over the past 13 years, according to the court.
The 783 payments or gratifications Zuma allegedly received outside of his official remuneration cannot be seen as conduct connected to his official function, said the court.
It's in the public interest that charges of abuse of public office, such as fraud and corruption, are prosecuted, the court said.
Zuma, who resigned in February, faces 16 charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering.
Thursday's ruling drew applause from political parties and civil groups.
"Today the people of South Africa have achieved a great victory in the battle for accountability," Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said.
The system of corruption where those who loot the state are then able to defend themselves using public money has been stopped today, said Maimane.
Calling the ruling "an important precedent," she said the DA will take this fight further to those people complicit in state capture, which refers to collaboration between senior government officials and the Indian Gupta family in looting from state-owned enterprises.
"The DA is committed to seeing justice done, and we will continue to fight for accountability at all levels of government," Maimane said.
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CFCR) said the judgment against Zuma confirms the constitutional principle of accountability.
This sends out a clear message to public officials that the state is not a cash cow to finance lavish criminal defence litigation, the CFCR said.
The DA filed papers at the North Gauteng High Court in late March, asking it to set aside a 2006 agreement the Presidency had signed, over legal costs Zuma incurred for his criminal prosecution.
The agreement formed the basis for the decision to continue paying for Zuma's legal fees in his criminal defence litigation regarding an arms deal with French weaponry manufacturer Thales in the late 1990s. In the deal, Zuma allegedly received a bribe from the company.
