The MPs and travel agents charged in connection with Travelgate, the parliamentary travel-voucher scam, will go to trial in the Cape High Court on July 31 next year, if the National Prosecuting Authority has its way.
But lawyers for most of the accused gave notice on Wednesday that they intend to fight the move to transfer the case to the high court. They also want the MPs tried separately from the agents.
Twenty-one current and former MPs, plus seven travel-agency accused, appeared in five separate lots in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Magistrate Hennie le Roux postponed the cases to July 28 this year, after prosecutor Jannie van Vuuren told him that there had been a request from some of the accused for more time to consider plea-bargain agreements.
Eight other MPs have already entered into agreements with the Scorpions.
Van Vuuren said that on July 28 he will apply for all the cases to be joined into one, and for the matter to be postponed to 2006 for trial in the high court.
July 31 has been reserved by the high court as the first available date ”for such a trial”, he said.
However, advocate Seth Nthai, appearing for the 18 current and former African National Congress MPs involved, said he will object strongly to any attempt to join all the accused in a single trial, and to the proposal to send the case to the high court.
”We don’t want it to be sent to the high court. We want it to be tried here,” he told Le Roux.
Other lawyers, for both MPs and some of the travel-agency accused, echoed his objections to a single trial.
They apparently fear that a mass trial, with all the accused having to sit through all the evidence, will be a massive drain on their clients’ resources.
Le Roux told all the accused that on July 28 they will receive an indictment, including a summary of facts; a list of the witnesses the state intends to call; and copies of their statements.
Reuben Liddell, appearing for the former owner of Business and Executive Travel Soraya Beukes, asked that on July 28 a PricewaterhouseCoopers forensic report commissioned by Parliament should also be made available to his client.
”It’s not available yet. If it’s available, I will make it available [to the client],” replied Van Vuuren.
Liddell said the document was ”available” last year already, and that it was shown on television by the Speaker, Baleka Mbete.
Van Vuuren said he would ask the Speaker for a copy, but did not know if she would give him one.
Van Vuuren said he is dropping charges against one of the seven travel-agency accused, Mustapha Solomons of ITC. He said Solomons will appear as a witness instead. — Sapa