SAfrica's Zuma to Face Corruption Trial

The case against Zuma could derail his election as South Africa's next president.

The country's top prosecutor was investigating allegations that in the 1990s, Zuma accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from the French company Thint to stop investigations into a multibillion-dollar arms deal with the government.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who lost a party election to Zuma last week, fired him as the country's deputy president in 2005 after Zuma's financial adviser was convicted of trying to elicit the bribe.

Charges against Zuma were thrown out last year on a technicality. He denies the allegations and says prosecutors trying to smear his name for political reasons.

His lawyer, Michael Hulley, said Zuma was to face various charges of racketeering, money laundering, corruption and fraud.

Spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, Tlali Tlali, would not comment on whether an indictment had been served on Zuma.

Zuma, a popular former guerilla fighter, was acquitted of rape charges last year.

In a harshly worded statement emailed to the Associated Press, Hulley questioned the timing of the latest indictment and accused prosecutors of acting "with improper motive calculated to discredit" Zuma.

"The timing is calculated to quickly redress the popular support and call to leadership of the ANC which Mr Zuma's election so obviously demonstrates," he said.