Two former MPs will be tried separately from four travel agents in the Travelgate parliamentary travel-voucher case, the Cape High Court ruled on Monday.
Mnyanmezeli Booi (African National Congress) and Antoinette Versfeld (Democratic Alliance) will be tried in the Cape Town Regional Court. The four travel agents will be tried in the high court.
With Booi and Versfeld in the dock were travel agents Soraya Beukes, Mpho Lebelo, Graham Geduldt and Estelle Aggujaro. The accused are either MPs who received travel benefits, or travel agents who were supposed to render a service and through whom the crimes were facilitated.
The six appeared before Cape Judge President John Hlophe, who delivered an off-the-cuff judgement after the defence and prosecution had argued for hours over the separation of trials.
The Scorpions’ senior counsel, Jannie van Vuuren, emphasised the importance of one trial for the six accused in the high court. He said the prosecution had a much wider duty than the defence, and had tried to make the complex case as manageable as possible.
The judge president said the law was clear that he had a discretion to grant or refuse the separation requested by Mario Wilker, representing Booi; Andre Parries for Aggujaro; and Craig Webster for Versfeld.
His main consideration in deciding for or against the separation was the question of prejudice. He had to weigh the prejudice suffered by the accused, if refused separations, against the prejudice suffered by the state, representing the community.
Without further ado, he announced: ”Aggujaro is refused a separation of trial, but a separation is granted for Booi and Versfeld.”
Beukes, Lebelo, Geduldt and Aggujaro were ordered to go on trial in the high court on July 31.
Booi and Versfeld were ordered to appear in the regional court next Monday, when a date for their trial will be set. — Sapa