Fidentia trio in court again

Piet Bothma, the suspended chief executive of the Transport Education Training Authority, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court in connection with the Fidentia saga. It was Bothma's second court appearance. He was recently arrested as a third suspect in the affair.

Bothma was in the dock with Fidentia chief executive J Arthur Brown, and the company's former financial director, Graham Maddock, both of whom were arrested in March. Bothma was arrested on August 6, after he had flown to Cape Town with his attorney, Marco Martini, to surrender himself to the Scorpions.

The three appeared before magistrate Jesthree Steyn who, at the request of Scorpions senior counsel Bruce Morrison, postponed the case to February 12 next year. Morrison told the court the long postponement was needed to finalise the investigation, and to prepare the charge sheet. Attorney William Booth, who represents Brown, told the court he had no objection to the postponement, despite having at the previous hearing in May reserved the right to object to any further postponements for further investigation. Booth told the court: "Last time, I noted that I would object to any further postponement, requested by the State, for the purpose of finalising the investigation.
"I also said I would object if the defence had not at the present proceedings been furnished with the charge sheet. "I agree to the postponement to next year, but reserve the defence's rights to object if at the next hearing the defence has not yet been furnished with the charge sheet and other documents." Maddock was represented by attorney Cesare Baartman, who said he too would object if a further postponement was requested in February.

Technically, if the State again requests a postponement in February for further investigation, the defence will have the right to demand that the case be removed from the roll. If the case is then removed from the roll, it will amount to the withdrawal of charges, and the three will step out of the dock free men. The magistrate extended their bail: R1m in respect of Brown and Maddock, and R200 000 in respect of Bothma.

Source: News 24