Talks about a plea agreement in the Wendy Machanik fraud case are expected to resume in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday.
The deal was not concluded in May because a matter relating to the SA Revenue Service (Sars) arose during negotiations, the court heard.
The possible plea agreement is in terms of section 105(a) of the Criminal Procedure Act, which permits a guilty plea in exchange for information.
During discussions, it emerged that Sars proceedings were also underway relating to the former estate agent's business. It was hoped all the matters could run concurrently.
If everything was ready then charges could be put and pleas entered, but if negotiations had not been finalised the defence could insist on a trial date.
Bail for Machanik and her co-accused, Wendy Machanik Property Holdings chief financial officer Bruce Bernstein, was extended.
The two were arrested last year on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, failure to keep accounting records, and failure to reflect over 100 transfers between the company's trust and business accounts. The amount involved is around R28 million. - Sapa