Trial date set for attorney accused of bribery

A trial date has been set for an advocate alleged to have solicited a R5m bribe from an Italian businessman in 2009. At the time, Mario Marcenaro was one of 11 Italians embroiled in a mining rights dispute with the SA Government. Seth Nthai, who was granted bail, faces three counts of corruption. The Daily Maverick reports that he is set to appear in the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) on 3 June. The case stems from an alleged attempt by Nthai in October 2009 to solicit a bribe from Marcenaro. The case dates back to November 2006, when a dispute arose between the government and 11 Italian companies with mining interests in two companies registered in SA. The dispute culminated in the arbitration case of Piero Foresti and Others v The RSA, under the Additional Facility of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, held at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.