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Former South African President Jacob Zuma is due to make an eagerly awaited appearance on Monday to investigate allegations of corruption after previous witnesses presented overwhelming evidence against him.
Zuma is accused of overseeing the mbadive looting of public funds during his nine-year reign before being ousted in 2018 by the ruling party, the ANC, and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa.
Zuma, 77, denied any misconduct and his lawyers described the investigation as an attempt to "ambush and humiliate" him.
The former president, who is not legally bound to appear, has agreed to appear for up to five days this week, although it is unclear whether he will cooperate with one against -examination.
The investigation commission, which investigates the corruption scandal known as the "capture of the state," rejected his request to see the issues in advance.
"In all honesty, the commission has asked me to testify and put forward information that I might have," Zuma said Friday before the televised hearings.
"We'll see how things go, but I'll go there."
The inquiry commission said last month that Zuma had been invited to appear "to allow him to give his point of view".
Led by Judge Raymond Zondo, the investigator investigates a set of transactions involving government officials, the wealthy Gupta family and state-owned companies.
Bribes and death threats
According to a witness at the commission, Zuma allegedly accepted a bribe of $ 2,200 a month delivered in luxury bags by a security firm that was trying to evade the police investigation.
The money was in theory for his charity foundation.
Former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, who was fired by Zuma in 2015, testified that he had put forward nuclear and aviation policies designed to benefit the Gupta family.
The Gupta brothers are accused of fraudulently taking advantage of extensive contracts with the government, particularly in the energy and transport sector, as part of Zuma.
The Guptas had a uranium mine, which would have made significant profits from the nuclear deal, as well as a portfolio of companies in the mining, technology and media sectors.
They would have had such a hold on Zuma that they were able to choose some of his ministers.
Former deputy finance minister, Mcebisi Jonas, told the investigation that the Guptas had offered him the post of finance minister and had even threatened to kill him after he refused to grant him a job. Accept a bribe of 40 million dollars.
The weekly Financial Mail said Thursday that Zuma's lawyer, Daniel Mantsha, had stopped communicating with investigators before Zuma's testimony.
Mantsha had previously told the commission that Zuma wanted to appear before a "truly independent" forum to "expose lies" about him.
Zuma was forced to set up the commission in January 2018, shortly before leaving office, after failing in a legal battle to overturn the instructions of the country's ethics ombudsman.
He has been holding hearings in Johannesburg since last year.
Zuma was also charged with 16 counts of corruption related to an arms sales agreement before he became president.
The Gupta brothers, born in India – Ajay, Atul and Rajesh – left South Africa to settle in Dubai.
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