Pretoria – The case against three men accused of defrauding the Department of Labour’s Compensation Fund of millions of rands was yet again postponed today as the men failed to plead.
The accused – Maxwell Ramaphosa, Samuel Mfeleng and Jurry Sehunoe – appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court.
They were expected to plead, marking the start of a trial that had been characterized by numerous postponements.
Ramaphosa’s lawyer pleaded with the magistrate, citing lack of information for him to proceed with the trial. His co-accused Mfeleng fired his lawyer, Mr Human, who was appointed for him by the Legal Aid Board on the eve of the start of the trial this morning.
He is expected to make another application or lodge an appeal to the Legal Aid for another legal representative.
Mfeleng’s lawyer declined to disclose the reasons for his expulsion, saying he preferred these to remain confidential as this would be prejudicial to the outcome of the trial.
Human, however, told the court that he had cautioned his former client of his actions.
The case has been postponed to 17 August for the new trial date.
The accused are out on a bail of R3 000 each. They face 22 counts of fraud valued at more than R3.8 million and 28 counts of money laundering amounting to more than R860 000.
The Compensation Fund is a business entity of the Department of Labour. The organization handles cover for compensation of workers injured during work or diseases sustained or contracted by employees during the course of their occupation. The Fund also covers death resulting from injuries and diseases, and related matters that occur during work. – BuaNews
