Another twist in EP Rugby corruption trial

NEWS: The multimillion-rand fraud trial of former EP Rugby boss Cheeky Watson and his co-accused has seen another twist in the saga.

The trial has hit another snag and will now only continue in December. Watson and his co-accused are accused of siphoning off funds meant for Nelson Mandela Bay’s Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS).

The case, which has been plagued by one delay after another, was postponed in the Gqeberha commercial crimes court on Monday for the former assistant director in the Bay’s finance department, Nadia Gerwel, to appoint a new attorney.

Gerwel, Watson, former Laphumilanga Transport Services director Mandisa Mkasa, businessman Stefan Pretorius and businesswoman Andrea Wessels, along with her company Zeranza, face a total of 44 charges, including fraud and money laundering, totalling more than R12 million.

It is alleged the municipality was defrauded when the accused acted in common purpose to submit a fake invoice to Access Management, claiming EP Rugby was owed money for the payment of a profit share from an IRB Sevens rugby match between New Zealand and SA in 2011.

They are accused of misusing and misappropriating money given to the Bay municipality by the National Treasury for the IPTS.

Watson also stands accused of money laundering for allegedly allowing a R2.9 million deposit made by the metro, at the behest of Gerwel, to be moved from the EP Rugby bank account into Zeranza’s account in February 2013.

All of the accused have pleaded not guilty.

The trial has been a stop-start affair.

Previously, Wessels had to appoint new legal representation, her new attorneys then asked for more time to prepare, and the initial prosecutor in the matter, advocate Tjaart van Zyl, emigrated from SA.

Pretorius has since died.

The matter is now scheduled to resume on December 3.

With additional reporting by @Heraldlive