Zuma back in court over alleged corruption

Former South African President Jacob Zuma was set to appear in court on Monday to argue for a permanent stay of prosecution in his ongoing corruption trial.

Zuma, dubbed the “teflon president’’ because of his ability to weather scandal after scandal, is expected to bring a new legal team with him to argue that the charges against him were politically motivated.

The new legal team will also argue that the charges were cooked up by a faction within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) that supported former President Thabo Mbeki.

The legal team is also expected to argue that Zuma is not getting a free and fair trial and that justice delayed is justice denied, indicating that Zuma should have been charged two decades ago if prosecutors were intent on going after him.

The high court in the eastern town of Pietermaritzburg is hearing arguments in a legal saga that dates back to 1999 over alleged kickbacks in a multibillion-dollar arms deal with a French company, Thales, which Zuma oversaw as vice president.

The court will decide whether the 77-year-old former president should stand trial.

In 2007, Zuma was charged with 16 counts of racketeering, corruption, money laundering and fraud.

The charges, relating to 783 payments in connection with Thales, were dropped before he assumed the presidency in 2009.

After years of legal challenges, the National Prosecuting Authority, in early 2018, served a fresh indictment, deciding Zuma must face trial.

Zuma had been forced to resign as president under intense pressure from his ANC party shortly beforehand.

- PM NEWS

WASTING TAX PAYERS MONEY !! Buhari hosts Yari in Saudi Arabia, laments insecurity in Zamfara

President Muhammadu Buhari says he will do his best to ensure that Nigerians live in peace.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari as saying this when he had iftar (breaking of fast) with Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.

Garba Tambari, emir of Maradun local government in Zamfara, was also present at the iftar.

Buhari left Nigeria to observe umrah (lesser hajj) in Saudi on Thursday. He is expected back in the country on Tuesday.

According to Shehu, the president expressed sadness over the loss of lives and destruction of property in Zamfara.

Zamfara has suffered a series of attacks by bandits.

On Tuesday, unknown gunmen abducted seven people, including a 3-month-old baby at Kanoma village in Maru local government area of the state.

The attack occurred days after not less than 50 people were reportedly killed in four communities in the state.

Shehu quoted the president as expressing determination to “ensure that justice prevails and Nigerians find peace and prosperity wherever they lived”.

The federal government had banned mining activities in Zamfara in a bid to curtail the attacks by bandits.

- THECABLE

UEFA changes rules ahead of Champions League, Europa League finals

Liverpool and Tottenham will both have 23 players in their Champions League final matchday squads, the UK Mirror reports.

The Premier League sides will face off in the final in Madrid on June 1.

Liverpool will be looking to be better than last season, when they were beaten by Real Madrid in the final in Kiev.

And there will definitely be one change from that final due to new rules UEFA introduced for the start of the 2018/2019 season.

It will see teams being allowed to name 12 substitutes for the final.

Arsenal and Chelsea will also be permitted to do so in the Europa League final.

In previous rounds, teams have been allowed seven replacements.

UEFA have also confirmed that managers will again be able to make an additional substitute in extra time on top of the standard number of three.

-  DAILY POST

‘Yahoo Yahoo’: Naira Marley in court as EFCC arraigns musician

Nigeria’s up-and-coming musician, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, has arrived the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, for his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

EFCC had arrested Naira Marley in connection with an alleged advance fee fraud known as ‘yahoo yahoo’ in Nigerian parlance.

Following his arrest, the anti-graft agency filed an 11-count charge against him.

The charges with suit number FHC/L/178C/19 were filed before a Lagos High Court.

According to the EFCC, some of the credit cards found on him bore the names: Nicole Louise Malyon and Timea Fedorne Tatar.

- DAILY POST

POCKET MONEY !! I need more than seven days to account for security votes – Nasarawa governor

Nasarawa governor, Tanko Al-Makura, has stated that he will need more than seven days to respond to a freedom of information request by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

SERAP had asked President Muhammadu Buhari and all the 36 governors to provide details of what was appropriated for as security votes between 2011 and 2019.

Al-Makura’s response was contained via a letter, with reference number, NS/MOJ/ADM/108/VOL1/65, signed by Nasarawa state attorney-general.

According to Kolawole Oludare, SERAP’s deputy director, Al-Makura promised to revert to the organisation when the information is ready.

“I refer to your letter dated 12th April 2019 requesting information on the spending of security votes by Nasarawa State between 2011 to date,” Oludare quoted the governor as saying.

“I am directed to draw your attention to the fact that the information being requested covers a period of eight years and will require more than 7 days to process.

“We shall revert to you as soon as the information is ready.”

In its reply, SERAP asked the governor to fast-track the process and ensure the information is provided before the expiration of his tenure on May 29.

“We urge you to fast-track the process to ensure that the information is sent to us before the expiration of your term on 29th May 2019,” SERAP said.

“This would be a perfect parting gift to the people of Nasarawa, and show the way for 35 other state governors and the federal government that have failed, so far, to respond to the FOI requests on security votes spending.”

- PM NEWS

Kroos extends Real Madrid deal until 2023

Toni Kroos has agreed a contract renewal with Real Madrid until the end of the 2022/23 season, the Spanish club said on Monday.

The 29-year-old Germany midfielder had been linked with a potential departure from the Santiago Bernabeu by Spanish media, but instead has extended his stay for another four years.

Real are expected to sell several players this summer and overhaul their squad after a bitterly disappointing season.

The Los Merengues finished third in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16.

Kroos signed for the club from Bayern Munich in 2014 and has made 233 appearances for the club, winning 11 trophies.

- PM NEWS

LAND OF INSECURITY !! Gunmen kidnap pastor, daughter, 15 others during church service in Kaduna

A cleric with the ECWA church, Zaria District Church Council and his daughter have been abducted by yet to be identified gunmen.

Fifteen other members of the church were also kidnapped in the early hours of Sunday.

Chairman of ECWA Zaria District Church Council, Reverend Nathaniel Waziri disclosed this in a press statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna.

The incident according to him happened while the church was hosting a combined choir fellowship which lasted Saturday night to the early hours of Sunday.

The statement reads in part “The gun men came and asked everyone in the church to surrender phones and thereafter demanded the whereabout of the pastor”

“After threatening the choristers, they became afraid and showed them the pastor’s house ”

“They took him away and his daughter with 15 others amongst which is the son of the pastor of Assemblies of God Church,” TVC reports

Efforts to reach the police on the matter have yet to yield results.

- PM NEWS

Trump threatens to wipe out Iran from the face of the earth

US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran on Sunday, suggesting that if the Islamic republic attacks American interests, it will be destroyed.

“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again,” Trump said in a tweet.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been on the rise as the United States has deployed a carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf over what it termed Iranian “threats.”

Iran’s foreign minister downplayed the prospect of a new war in the region on Saturday, saying Tehran opposed it and no party was under the “illusion” the Islamic republic could be confronted.

“We are certain… there will not be a war since neither we want a war nor does anyone have the illusion they can confront Iran in the region,” Mohammad Javad Zarif told state-run news agency IRNA at the end of a visit to China.

Iran-US relations hit a new low last year as US Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed unilateral sanctions that had been lifted in exchange for Tehran scaling back its nuclear program.

- PM NEWS