Koen tells JSC he 'agonised' over decision to recuse himself from Zuma's corruption case
The commission interviewed Judge Piet Koen for a position at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Monday.
The Judicial Service Commission interviewed Judge Piet Koen for a position at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on 20 May 2024. Picture: X/@OCJ_RSA
JOHANNESBURG - KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) High Court Judge Piet Koen has told the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) how he agonised over whether to recuse himself from former president Jacob Zuma’s corruption case.
The commission interviewed Koen for a position at the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Monday.
He faced a grilling over the decision he took to step down from the case, as Judge Piet Koen recused himself early last year after an announcement from Zuma’s legal team that they were bringing another application for State Advocate Billy Downer’s removal from the matter.
The court had heard how the application would be based on the fact that Zuma had launched a private prosecution against Downer, in which he claimed that his medical information had been unlawfully leaked to the press.
Koen took the decision against the backdrop of his having already found there was no merit in the claims in question when he dismissed Zuma’s special plea.
In his interview on Monday, though, commissioners Carol Steinberg and Thembeka Ngcukaitobi expressed concerns about it and even Chief Justice Raymond Zondo weighed in on the discussion.
Koen stood by his decision, though.
"I can assure you, I agonised over this issue for quite some time before I came to the conclusion which I did. Ultimately, it is a question also, I suppose, of conscience in a way. I placed myself in the position of that particular accused."
The interviews continue.