Moodley couldn't pay legal fee
2004-10-25 19:26
Johannesburg - Johannesburg lawyer Louis Weinstein withdrew due to financial reasons as legal representative of Donovan Moodley, the man suspected of abducting and killing student Leigh Matthews.
"They (the family) are unable to pay the fee I ask for the bail application," Louis Weinstein said late on Monday afternoon.
The case against Moodley was on Friday postponed to December 3 for further investigation, while the bail application has been postponed indefinitely since Weinstein announced his withdrawal last Friday. He said then he would give reasons for his decision this week.
Moodley is now being represented by Jonathan Minnie of Jonathan M Attorneys in Turffontein.
On Friday Minnie told the court that the defence was not ready to proceed with the bail application. He said the defence might be in a position on December 3 to say when it would bring a new bail application.
Moodley, from Alberton, was arrested in the town on October 4.
He was a student at the upmarket Bond University in Sandton, the same institution that Matthews attended. Matthews disappeared from outside the university on July 9 - the day before a party was to be held to celebrate her 21st birthday.
Her body was found 12 days later by a municipal worker cutting grass in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg. She had been shot.
- SAPA