Tender out for auditors
05/02/2008 20:22  - (SA)  

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Cape Town - Legal aid authorities are to put out a tender for forensic auditors to assist the defence team in the Travelgate case, which involves four travel agents charged with parliamentary travel voucher fraud.

Counsel Mornay Calitz told Judge-President John Hlophe in the Cape High Court on Tuesday that forensic auditors approached by the Cape Town Legal Aid Board had presented a quotation for in excess of R200 000 for each of the four accused, a total of R800 000.

He said this cost excluded normal legal fees and the fees to be demanded by the auditors for consultation with the defence team.

Calitz told the court: "For this reason, the Legal Aid Board is to put out a tender for forensic auditing, and the board is considering whether there is a shorter way to appoint auditors."

He said it was possible for auditors to deal with two of the accused simultaneously.

Before the court are travel agents Soraya Beukes, Mpho Lebelo, Graham Geduldt and Estelle Aggujaro.

The four are out on bail, and were warned by the Judge-President to return to court on April 14.

In proceedings last year, Hlophe ordered a separation of trial for two former MPs, Mnyanmezeli Booi (ANC) and Antoinette Versveld (DA), who had been in the dock together with the four travel agents.

Hlophe ordered that Booi and Versveld go on trial in the Cape Town Regional Court, and this case is still pending.

Duty to report fraud

In last year's proceedings, Scorpion prosecutor Jannie van Vuuren opposed the defence application for a separation of trials, and said practicalities demanded that the six go on trial together in the Cape High Court.

He said the six accused were either MPs who received travel benefits, or travel agents who were supposed to render a service, and through whom the alleged fraud was facilitated.

He said Booi and Versveld had had a duty to report the fraud the moment they became aware of it, but had instead taken part in it.

Van Vuuren said the prosecution had a much wider duty than the defence, and that he had tried to make the complex case as manageable as possible.

Van Vuuren said a total of 30 MPs and two other travel agents had already been sentenced in plea-bargain proceedings.

- SAPA

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