The state is eyeing the end of July next year as a trial date for the travel agents and politicians charged in the alleged parliamentary travel voucher fraud case.
This emerged during a brief appearance by the remaining 12 accused in the Cape High Court on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Jannie van Vuuren told Cape Judge President John Hlophe that the advocate representing the African National Congress MPs in the case, Seth Nthai, was seeking a 14 day postponement of the matter to try to resolve ”outstanding issues”.
These included further particulars and additional plea bargains.
Van Vuuren asked that the matter be postponed to December 4 for this purpose, and that another date — February 12 — be set for argument on a bid by defence teams for a separation of the trials of the travel agents, and the MPs.
He also asked that July 30 be earmarked as a possible trial date, either for a single trial, or for one of the trials, if a separation had been granted.
Hlophe granted the postponements to December and February, but said the July date would depend on what happened at the earlier appearances.
At the previous two hearings, in October, Hlophe ratified plea bargain agreements by 16 current and former ANC MPs.
ANC MP Danny Olifant, who was also expected to conclude a plea bargain, said on Tuesday that he had changed his mind after consulting family, friends, and other people who had supported him over the years.
He had also had access to documentation not previously available.
”We have come to the conclusion that there is enough merit in this case to fight it,” he said.
Accused number one, travel agent Soraya Beukes, was not present on Tuesday as she was, according to Van Vuuren, writing an exam.
Another travel agent, Nazley Lackay, was also absent because she had been hospitalised for an operation.
The remaining nine in court on Tuesday were ANC MPs Jabu Sosibo, Elizabeth Ngaleka, Mnyamezeli Booi and Maxwell Moss, former DA MPs Antoinette Versfeld and Craig Morkel, and travel agents Mpho Lebelo, Graham Geduldt and Estelle Aggujaro. – Sapa