Parliament is trying to claw back its credibility after the spectre of the Travelgate scandal once again reared its ugly head this week.
The last of the accused in the parliamentary travel-voucher saga has pleaded guilty to fraud, and will forfeit almost R3,5-million to the state.
The last of the MPs charged with abusing parliamentary travel warrants, former ANC chief whip Nyami Booi, on Monday pleaded guilty to theft.
As his travel fraud case was postponed yet again, MP Nyami Booi on Friday kept mum on how he had managed to secure funding for a new legal team.
A court judge on Tuesday night rejected an urgent bid by senior ANC MP Nyami Booi to delay the start of his Travelgate trial.
The attorney representing Travelgate MP Nyami Booi was threatened with a contempt of court conviction on Tuesday after he walked out on the magistrate
A Cape Town regional magistrate put her foot down on Monday when she was told that Travelgate MP Nyami Booi had run out of money to pay his lawyers.
The Travelgate investigation had been designed to destroy the reputations of certain politicians, one of the travel agents facing charges has claimed.
Buying up the debtor’s book of one of the travel agencies involved in the Travelgate scandal will save Parliament money, officials said on Friday.
Former Cabinet minister Kader Asmal resigned from Parliament because he did not want to vote for the disbanding of the Scorpions.
Businessman Hugh Glenister will this week seek an interdict to bar Travelgate MPs from voting on legislation aimed at disbanding the Scorpions.
An offer to buy back voucher claims at the centre of Travelgate was considered the best option for dealing with the matter, Parliament said.
Parliament has not brushed the Travelgate saga under the carpet, said the office of the speaker on Wednesday.
Former ANC MP Mnyamezeli Booi is to go on trial in the Cape Town Regional Court in February 2009, charged with fraud relating to the Travelgate scam.
Businessman Hugh Glenister is seeking an urgent high court interdict to bar Travelgate MPs from debating the future of the Scorpions.
The liquidator trying to recover money owed by MPs says the Speaker of Parliament is not giving the full story.
