Funding
from business people Jurgen Kogl, Vivian Reddy and Nora Fauke-Nkuna.
Du
Plooy said attempts were being made to negotiate settlement agreements on the
raids issue so that it was not necessary to take it back to court on appeal.
Headway had been made with Zuma's lawyers and it seemed they would agree to give
the state access to the documents.
To date, the state had not been able
to provide all further particulars to Zuma or Thint, and this could only be done
when the "complex and voluminous" forensic report based on
tens of thousands of documents, was finalised, he said.
Du Plooy
described the case as "exceptionally serious and
complex".
"The corruption of a government
minister, let alone the deputy president, is in itself, a matter of utmost
gravity. The fact that it involved a multibillion-rand arms procurement contract
and an international arms company further compounds its seriousness.
"When one factors in the unprecedented public and political
interest, it can be stated without hyperbole that this is
possibly one of the most serious and significant cases in the history of our
democracy."
The interests of justice demanded that all parties
should have an adequate opportunity to properly prepare themselves for trial.
"The delays are entirely outside the control of the state . . . whatever
trial prejudice the accused may presently be experiencing may be adequately
addressed by giving them a reasonable opportunity to finalise their trial
preparations once the final indictment is delivered.
"And prejudice must
unfortunately submit to the interests of justice in ensuring that a case of this
nature is properly investigated and prosecuted."
He said the state had
initially suggested that the trial be adjourned until February next year "but,
as things stand at present, it would appear even this date
would appear optimistic". He proposed the trial be adjourned until "the
first half of 2007".