The State is to file its opposing papers in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein today in an attempt to prevent former ANC MP Tony Yengeni from appealing against his sentence, says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Yengeni was sentenced to four years in prison for fraud in 2003. He filed papers with the Supreme Court early in June in a final bid to challenge his four-year jail sentence. If his endeavour to avoid imprisonment fails, he will have to exchange his lavish lifestyle and tailored suits for the prison pap and the bright-orange prison uniforms in Pollsmoor.

NPA spokesperson Lucia Moonieya would not comment on why the State had missed the July deadline for filing its opposing affidavits.

In March 2003, the Pretoria Regional Court sentenced Yengeni to four years in prison for defrauding parliament over a discount he received on a 4x4 Mercedes-Benz from a bidder in the country's multi-million rand arms deal.

High Court judges Eberhardt Bertelsmann and Ferdi Preller also found that Yengeni was a public official who had abused his position of trust as an MP and should have been given a more severe sentence.

In an affidavit filed with other papers at the Supreme Court in June, Yengeni submitted that the regional court and the High Court had over-emphasised the position of trust which he occupied as an MP when delivering sentence.

With acknowledgement to Cape Argus.