Travelgate trial may be in 2008
19/05/2007 07:25  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - The trial of two politicians still remaining in the parliamentary travel fraud case would probably take place only next year, it emerged on Friday.

African National Congress MP Mnyamezeli Booi and former Democratic Alliance MP Antoinette Versfeld face charges of fraud, alternatively theft, in the Cape Town Regional Court.

When they appeared on Friday, magistrate Arnold Loubscher postponed the case to August 20 to allow the defence teams to study a revised charge sheet they were given this week, and to request further particulars.

Prosecutor Jannie van Vuuren said the State was ready to go ahead with the trial, and had furnished the defence all the evidence in the case as along ago as January 2006.

Versfeld's advocate, Craig Webster, said he would be able to fit a three-week hearing into his schedule only in January next year.

He said he and Versfeld also wanted to get the matter over, and denied that the defence was responsible for delays.

Booi and Versfeld were not in custody, both out on warning.

Their regional court appearance followed a Cape High Court ruling in March that their trials be separated from that of four travel agents also charged in the matter.

The agents go on trial in the High Court on July 31.

A number of other MPs and travel agents - there were originally 31 accused - have entered into plea bargain agreements with the Scorpions.

Webster told the magistrate on Friday that he might apply for a further separation of trials on August 20.

- SAPA

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