Jacob Zuma, former president of South Africa, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court.
Zuma, on Tuesday, was found guilty of contempt of court following his refusal to appear before a graft panel.
“The Constitutional Court can do nothing but conclude that Mr Zuma is guilty of the crime of contempt of court,”
Sisi Khampepe, the judge, said.
The former president had defied an order by the constitutional court in January to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was president.
The 79-year-old Zuma was forced to step down as president in 2018 over corruption allegations.
South Africa’s constitutional court ruled that the former president Jacob Zuma was in contempt of court for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry earlier this year, and ordered that he be imprisoned for 15 months.
Zuma failed to appear at the inquiry led by the deputy chief justice, Raymond Zondo, in February. The inquiry is examining allegations of high-level graft during Zuma’s period in power from 2009 to 2018. He denies wrongdoing and has so far not cooperated.
