South Africa court dismisses Malema corruption trial

A South African court has thrown out the corruption case against Julius Malema, the leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters and a former leader of the ANC youth wing, and his four business associates. The judge said on Tuesday that he would rather dismiss the trial because another necessary postponement would be excessive after […]

A South African court has thrown out the corruption case against Julius Malema, the leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters and a former leader of the ANC youth wing, and his four business associates.
The judge said on Tuesday that he would rather dismiss the trial because another necessary postponement would be excessive after several previous delays, Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller reported from the South African city of Polokwane, where the trial was held, said.
Malema left the court with hundreds cheering him on following the verdict.
The trial, which was supposed to begin on Monday after being adjourned in September last year, was again postponed until Tuesday because one of Malema’s four associates was too ill to appear at the court.
An outspoken critic of corruption, Malema is accused of receiving $400,000 from involvement in corrupt road construction projects.
The charges include fraud, corruption, racketeering and money-laundering. If convicted, Malema could have spent a maximum of 15 years in prison, paid a large fine and would lose his seat in parliament.
Our correspondent said that although the accused are “free to go now”, they “may be charged again in the future”.