A South African court has issued a warrant for  the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma after he failed to show up for his corruption trial.

Judge Dhayanithie Pillay ordered Zuma’s arrrest after finding that his lawyer, Daniel Mantsha, failed to provide sufficient evidence to show why his client could not attend Tuesday’s hearing. However, Mantsha had said Zuma was  receiving medical treatment abroad.

Judge Pillay stayed execution of the warrant until May 6, when the trial is scheduled to resume, to allow his defense team to convince the court that he is ill.

Zuma is facing 16 charges for allegedly taking bribes from arms dealers since the 1990s. He has denied the allegations.