Jackie Selebi’s legal team would like to have him brought to court earlier than the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) proposed date of January 30, one of his advocates Fanus Coetzee said on Thursday.
”It is because of the availability — we all have practices we are running,” said Coetzee.
The NPA proposed the date on Wednesday, when Selebi would be expected to be served a summons to appear in the Randburg Regional Court.
Coetzee said he would not reveal the revised date until the team had discussed it with the NPA. The NPA representatives they are negotiating with were not immediately available for a consultation.
”We can’t get hold of them, but we will be addressing a letter to them today [Thursday],” said Coetzee.
Meanwhile, Selebi’s lawyers will have another meeting on Friday that may lead to them securing a date from the judge president for a hearing to have the probe against him halted.
On Friday Selebi made an urgent application to have an investigation against him stopped.
He failed to have the matter heard urgently, but in court papers, the acting National Director of Public Prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe, said he was ready to charge Selebi with corruption and defeating the course of justice.
Alleged corrupt relations with murder accused and convicted drug trafficker Glen Agliotti, payments to the amount of R1,2-million, and turning a blind eye to drug smuggling were some of the reasons why the NPA wanted to charge him, the court heard.
The NPA has said it would not arrest Selebi ”with handcuffs” but would ask him to present himself to court when it was ready.
Selebi has been placed on leave and it was announced over the weekend that he had resigned as head of Interpol. – Sapa