Deal likely in Fidentia case

Cape Town - The embezzlement trial of former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown was postponed by the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.

Jannie van Vuuren, for the State, said there were ongoing discussions between him and Brown's lawyer.

He hinted at a possible deal being on the table, but was unwilling to provide any details to the court.

"I made a written offer in the past and it's still standing. I'm not keen to discuss the details, but there is movement," he said.

Judge Anton Veldhuizen said that at his age, "movement was good".

Brown's lawyer Braganza Pretorius said he would do his best to "make progress" on Tuesday.

The court granted a postponement until Wednesday to allow the parties time for discussions.

Brown has pleaded not guilty to fraud, corruption and money-laundering charges. His legal team has denied that he ran a pyramid scheme and used investors' funds for personal gain.

Van Vuuren said there was no witness lined up for Wednesday, but that the State intended bringing an application for an amendment of the indictment in terms of a theft charge.

Brown was 'numero uno'

Earlier the court heard that Brown was the only contact point for the company in business deals.

The State wanted to know who ex-broker Steven Goodwin thought was in charge of Fidentia Asset Management.

"The guy I dealt with at all stages was Arthur Brown. He was 'numero uno' (number one), he was the big boss. That's what I believed," Goodwin said during re-examination.

He was asked if Brown ever gave him instructions for the period 2002 to 2006.

"Yes, I was [instructed]. I received an e-mail saying I should only deal with him."

The State ran through the amounts of money Goodwin was connected to through his schedule of offences.

He was then allowed to leave the stand.

The same court previously found Goodwin guilty of bribing former Transport Education and Training Authority CEO Piet Bothma to facilitate the transfer of investments.

He also admitted to money-laundering, involving around R93m, through two of his entities. He entered into a plea agreement in 2009 and was sentenced to in effect 10 years in jail.

He was released on correctional supervision and is likely to finish serving his sentence in June.