The corruption trial of senior regional magistrate Ronnie Rambau and two other justice officials picked up where it left off on Monday in the Musina Magistrate’s Court.

During an earlier court appearance on March 7, the legal representatives of Rambau and Musina attorney Edward Tibu Lubisi informed the court that unless they received payment from their clients, they would not represent or take instructions from them any further.

The court then ruled that Rambau had until March 25 to apply for a state attorney. The Zoutpansberger learned last week, however, that this application was turned down. Whether payment was made or not is unclear, but the trial was able to continue on Monday, with Rambau and Lubisi’s attorneys ready to proceed.

The charges were brought against Rambau, Lubisi and regional court prosecutor Estene Willemse in February last year when they were arrested in a police trap. The trap was held within the Musina-area, with the aim of catching corrupt officials who sabotage the course of justice by pre-determining the sentence of vehicle theft cases by means of a plea agreement. The three accused allegedly also received bribe money in murder and rape cases.

All three pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, which comprise a charge sheet of more than seven pages. The main charges brought against them include corruption and conspiracy to commit corruption.

Rambau and Lubisi did not deny the fact that money was exchanged between them. According to the two, the money that was found in their possession was money that Lubisi had paid to Rambau for a vehicle that Lubisi had bought from him.

During Monday’s court appearance, the police officials involved in the trap continued to testify for the State. At the time of going to press, these officials were still testifying, with the trial expected to continue until Friday (15th).