Travelgate - wait almost over

2008-09-01 17:07

Cape Town - The Cape Town Regional Court is to pass judgement on Tuesday in an application launched by former African National Congress MP, Mnyamezeli Booi, for the postponement of his fraud trial in the so-called Travelgate scam.

The application was launched on his behalf by senior counsel Jan Heunis, before Magistrate Michelle Davids. Booi's trial was to have started on Monday.

Heunis said a postponement was needed for Booi to obtain a copy of an independent forensic report into the matter, as it was likely to be of benefit to him in his own case.

Travelgate prosecutor, senior counsel Jannie van Vuuren opposed the postponement on the grounds that it would delay the start of the Booi case, and unnecessarily prolong the processes of justice.

At a hearing in the Cape High Court last year, involving four travel agents as well as former MPs Booi and Antoinette Versveld (Democratic Alliance), Judge President John Hlophe ordered a separation of trials so that the travel agents would go on trial together in the High Court itself, and Booi and Versveld in the Cape Town Regional Court.

Hlophe at the same time ordered the legal aid authorities to provide the agents with an independent forensic report that assessed a report compiled for the State by forensic auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Versveld subsequently pleaded guilty, and her case was disposed of last year, which left Booi as the final MP to still go on trial.

He faced a single fraud charge, but it entailed multiple transactions, involving R140 000.

- SAPA