Corruption trial of Malatsi and Marais resumes
A demand for the urgent approval of the Roodefontein Golf Estate development at Plettenberg Bay was sent via the environmental MEC\'s personal assistant, the Bellville Regional Court heard yesterday when the corruption trial of Western Cape Environmental MEC, David Malatsi, and former Premier Peter Marais resumed.
Personal assistant Suraya Hamdulay told the court the demand was from Malatsi, who threatened to withdraw former environmental director Ingrid Coetzee\'s authority to approve or reject applications from developers involved in rural property development. Hamdulay said the approval had to be finalised by noon the next day, which did not give Hamdulay much time to convey the message to Coetzee. Malatsi and Marais have pleaded not guilty to two counts of corruption. Scorpions prosecutor Bruce Morrison SC alleges they corruptly accepted donations amounting to R400 000, on behalf of the then NNP, from Italian developer Count Riccardo Agusta. Full report on the News24 site