/ 22 January 2008

Agliotti trial date to be set in July

Glenn Agliotti, accused of the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble, will have his trial date set when he reappears in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on July 2. Both prosecuttion and defence said a delay in the case was necessary because of other ''developments''. Prosecutor Thanda Mngwengwe said the Kebble case was ''interlinked'' with other matters.

Glenn Agliotti, accused of the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble, will have his trial date set when he reappears in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on July 2.

Both prosecution and defence said a delay in the case was necessary because of other ”developments”.

”We have been cooperating. There have been distractions in the past two weeks that caused delays,” defence lawyer Lawrence Hodes told magistrate Simon Radasi.

Prosecutor Thanda Mngwengwe said the Kebble case was ”interlinked” with other matters.

”Some developments with these matters [have] caused the delay.”

Agliotti — dressed in a dark grey suit and a red tie — appeared calm in court.

In December last year, Agliotti entered into a plea bargain and received a suspended sentence for drug-trafficking.

Speaking outside the court, Mngwengwe said that Agliotti would be prosecuted in the Kebble case.

The fact a trial date would be set at the next court appearance ”clearly sets out our state of mind”, he said.

When it came to the extradition of John Stratton, a director of Kebble’s company, JCI, from Australia, Mngwengwe said ”there are processes in place”.

During Agliotti’s last court appearance in October, head prosecutor advocate Gerrie Nel told the court Stratton was a ”role player … Agliotti will not be the only accused”.

Nel was not in court on Tuesday.

Mngwengwe said Nel was busy dealing with ”crucial papers”. — Sapa