to 15 months in jail for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry. With that he was seen to have committed an act that is contempt of the tribunal which deserved to be punished. Recall that Zuma failed to appear at the inquiry led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in February, and the inquiry’s lawyers approached the constitutional court to seek an order for his imprisonment.
We recall that a former French President Nicholas Sarkozy was not too long ago convicted of corruption while in office. He appealed the judgment. Also, Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan for nearly a decade was sentenced to 10 years in prison, then released during an appeal, before being sentenced to seven years in a separate corruption case.
However, in Nigeria’s democratic rule, no former president has been put on trial for misdeeds while in office. Democracy can only be deepened when leaders are held accountable. The rule of law is not only the bedrock of any strong democracy, it places everybody equal before the law and no special respect to anyone even those in or out of office.
Nigeria is not south Africa.