Too busy to chat : Tony Yengeni arrives at court this week in the sporty Mercedes SLK 320

Tony Yengeni pleaded for a lenient sentence after driving to court in a discounted sports car from the same arms company that landed him in 4x4 trouble.

He was photographed in the red Mercedes-Benz, worth R400 000, at the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on Monday. Shortly afterwards his legal team told the court Yengeni was remorseful for lying to Parliament about his 4x4.

A Sunday Times investigation previously unmasked the red SLK 320 as one of 33 vehicles sold at a discount by the Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) to "VIPs" around the country.

Yengeni's wife, Lumka, was sold a Mercedes-Benz C180.

The SLK, registration CA 110938, was sold to Yengeni's friend, Wivine Ndlandu Kavidi, wife of former Zairean prime minister N'Guza Karl-I-Bond, at a 6,33% discount.

Kavidi wrote to a Cape Town car dealership saying that she would assume ownership of the car "intended" for Yengeni.

She could not be reached for comment on why Yengeni drove the car, which is still registered in her name.

Yengeni's 4x4 is the only vehicle, of the 33, which became the focus of a criminal conviction.

On Friday the Sunday Times asked Yengeni if he thought it appropriate to drive the Merc to court. Saying "I don't have time to discuss this", he ended the call.

Contacted later in the day, he said, "I'm busy, I'm busy, I'm busy", and ended the call again.

Yengeni's attorney, Brian Mashile, said : "Our case is confined to the 4x4 and the discount Yengeni received and failed to declare in Parliament."

Yengeni was convicted of fraud for failing to disclose to Parliament the 47% discount given to him on the Mercedes-Benz ML320 by EADS - a bidder in South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal. He was chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence at the time.

A corruption charge against him was withdrawn after he made a plea-bargain agreement with the state and pleaded guilty to fraud.

His advocate, Viwe Notshe, pleaded for a lenient sentence.

He said Yengeni was a remorseful first offender who had "decided to fall on his sword and plead guilty, which is the honourable thing to do".

"The accused has thrown himself before you and is asking for mercy," said Notshe. He asked the court to impose a R1 000 fine as that was all Yengeni could afford.

However, the prosecutor, advocate Gerda Ferreira, said Yengeni "picked the apple of privilege and favour and brought into Parliament the smell of rotten apples".

She said : "His motive was greed and not need. He wanted luxury and to drive around in a flashy car."

She argued that Yengeni had not shown remorse.

The case was postponed to March 19 for sentencing.

With acknowledgement to Andre Jurgens, Jessica Bezuidenhout, Mzilikazi wa Afrika and the Sunday Times.