The Democratic Alliance said Yengeni should not believe that hiring and firing legal teams, and/or failing to pay them, would stave off the scrutiny of the court indefinitely.

"While he may be on the political comeback trail, as evidenced by his return to the ANC NEC (national executive council) he cannot evade the verdict of the courts forever," DA spokeswoman Raenette Taljaard said in a statement.

"Playing musical chairs with his legal counsel is both undignified and a frustration of the wheels of the judicial process."

At the same time, Taljaard asked why no one else, besides Yengeni, Woerfel and Schabir Shaik, had been charged in cases involving the arms acquisition process.

Shaik --- who was director of Africa Defence Systems, a company that secured a contract in the arms deal -- was arrested in 2001 on charges relating to conflict of interest arising from the acquisition process. His brother Chippy was head of the defence procurement programme.

Taljaard said it should be asked why the Scorpions had not concluded any further investigations or brought any further charges against anyone else in connection with the arms deal.

"It has been more than a year since National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ncguka promised Parliament that further arrests were 'imminent'.

"The gestation period for 'imminent arrests' seem to rival an elephant birth."

With acknowledgement to Sapa.