Possible trial date for Fidentia boss in March

The case against embattled boss of Fidentia, J. Arthur Brown, has been postponed until March 17 in the Cape Town Regional Court.

Brown's legal team has to study an affidavit submitted to the State by jailed Fidentia accountant Graham Maddock. Maddock was Brown's co-accused in the case. He is currently serving an effective seven year jail term after pleading guilty to charges of theft, fraud and money laundering earlier this month. Both the State and the defense are concerned by the considerable time the case may take due to the court rolls that are full in the Cape Town Regional Court.

Brown's lawyer, William Booth, has denied that they are causing delays. He says they need to study a late affidavit drafted by the jailed Fidentia accountant Graham Maddock.

The return date is expected to set down a date for trial. This is if the defense does not require further information to dispute the content's of Maddock's affidavit. However the State says it is ready to proceed and needs two weeks to finalise the matter.

Brown is accused of misappropriating R5 million from the loyalty card business Infinity. The charges also relate to defrauding R4.5 million from a company that supplied equipment to mines in Zambia. Both companies were controlled by Fidentia.