/ 21 January 2008

Bail conditions relaxed for Fidentia man

Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown on Monday made his first appearance in the Cape Town Regional Court, where he is to go on trial on two charges of fraud, one of theft and one of contravening the Companies Act.

Brown had previously made several appearances in the lower district court, together with Fidentia’s former financial director, Graham Maddock, but at the last appearance on December 7 their trials were separated.

Maddock was expected to appear in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court on February 1.

At Monday’s proceedings, before magistrate Wilma van der Merwe, Scorpions senior counsel Bruce Morrison and Tersia du Toit handed to defence attorney William Booth the new charge sheet in the case, comprising 31 pages.

Morrison said Maddock’s name, as co-accused, had been removed from the Brown charge sheet, and that two additional charges — which would have left Brown to face six charges — had been dropped.

The case was postponed to February 25, when the trial date is to be scheduled.

At Booth’s request, Brown’s bail conditions were relaxed to allow him to report to the Milnerton police only once a week, and not twice as previously stipulated.

A condition that required him to obtain written permission from the police investigators to leave the Western Cape was also relaxed to allow him to merely obtain permission by telephone.

Brown’s court appearance on February 25 is to start at 2pm, but he was warned to be at court by 1.45pm.

Soon after his appearance in the regional court, Brown rushed to the Cape High Court to hear his application for leave to appeal concerning his recent provisional sequestration.

The application was dismissed with costs. — Sapa