Ex-finance chief misses trial

2003-12-01 18:40

Zenzele Kuhlase

Nelspruit - Former chief director in Mpumalanga's finance department, Shadrack Mashele, skipped bail in a R120 000 fraud and theft case on Monday, prompting the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Mashele and his co-accused, former assistant director Sellion Maseko, were to be informed in Nelspruit regional court of the High Court review of their case.

They'd applied to the High Court to permanently drop their case, saying witnesses would have forgotten details by now and that four of their defence witnesses had already died.

Magistrate Albertus le Roux issued the warrant, but is withholding it until March 5 next year for Mashele to come forward and explain his absence.

If the court is not satisfied with his answer, he may be charged with contempt of court.

The two men have argued that the case has taken longer than necessary, as it was first brought to court in December 1999 and had never gone to trial.

Cost them R250 000 in legal fees

They also complained that the first time the State gave them copies of the charge sheets and case docket was in February this year.

Mashele and Maseko said the delays had cost them R250 000 in legal fees.

They're accused of systematically siphoning small amounts of money out of obscure government accounts in 1998 to settle personal business debts.

They were arrested after an unnamed Waterval Boven baker called police after hye claimed he had received a stolen cheque from the men.

Mashele resigned from government in 2000 after the criminal charges were laid against him. He owns several business in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

Maseko was fired from the finance department in March 2000 after being found guilty during an internal disciplinary hearing.

He has since got a new job with government, this time as assistant director in the agriculture department.

Mashele and Maseko have never been asked to plead to charges of theft and fraud.

- African Eye