File photo of South African President Jacob Zuma (Reuters Photo)
Pretoria:
A South African court Thursday handed an opposition party the controversial "spy" recordings which were used to dismiss criminal charges against President Jacob Zuma in 2009, allowing him to stand for election.
The High Court in Pretoria handed over the tapes to Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille, after a five-year legal battle.
The tapes could be used to reopen corruption charges against Zuma, pilling pressure on the already embattled ANC leader.
The recordings, dubbed "spy tapes", are said to be conversations between the head of a special investigations unit and the ex-director of public prosecutions discussing Zuma's corruption charges, which were related to an arms deal.
Zuma's lawyers argued that the conversations suggested political interference in charging him.
As a result the fraud and corruption charges were dropped on the eve of April 2009 elections.
The Democratic Alliance had maintained that the decision was inappropriate.
The dropping of the charges cleared the way for Zuma to stand for election after he defeated his rival, former president Thabo Mbeki, for the leadership of the ruling ANC.
In a statement, Zuma's office said he "welcomes the release of the record relating to the so-called spy tape".
Zuma has faced numerous legal battles prior to his election.
In 2005 Mbeki fired him as his deputy after he was implicated in a corruption trial of his former financial advisor Schabir Shaik.
The High Court in Pretoria handed over the tapes to Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille, after a five-year legal battle.
The tapes could be used to reopen corruption charges against Zuma, pilling pressure on the already embattled ANC leader.
The recordings, dubbed "spy tapes", are said to be conversations between the head of a special investigations unit and the ex-director of public prosecutions discussing Zuma's corruption charges, which were related to an arms deal.
Zuma's lawyers argued that the conversations suggested political interference in charging him.
As a result the fraud and corruption charges were dropped on the eve of April 2009 elections.
The Democratic Alliance had maintained that the decision was inappropriate.
The dropping of the charges cleared the way for Zuma to stand for election after he defeated his rival, former president Thabo Mbeki, for the leadership of the ruling ANC.
In a statement, Zuma's office said he "welcomes the release of the record relating to the so-called spy tape".
Zuma has faced numerous legal battles prior to his election.
In 2005 Mbeki fired him as his deputy after he was implicated in a corruption trial of his former financial advisor Schabir Shaik.
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