The State has accused former Glenwood headmaster Trevor Kershaw's legal team of "delaying" the start of his fraud trial.
Public prosecutor Wendy O’Brien said on Wednesday that she did not know if they intended to proceed with a trial at all.
Kershaw is facing more than 1 600 counts of fraud, in connection with work-related claims he made from Glenwood during his time there.
He was arrested and charged last year.
His trial was supposed to begin last week but it has been placed on hold.
Just before the State could call its first witness, forensic accountant Eckhard Volker, Kershaw’s advocate, Gideon Scheltema SC, announced they were objecting to the charges.
Scheltema says the State has given him and his instructing attorney, Carl Van Der Merwe, 17 lever arch files. The details of the offenses Kershaw is accused of, are contained therein.
But, Scheltema says, these are so voluminous and complex that it is virtually impossible to make sense of them.
O’Brien said on Wednesday that the State had “bent over backwards” to try to provide the defence with everything it had requested and had not held back anything.
“In fact, (Scheltema’s) argument is the opposite: He's saying the State provided too many particulars and, in doing so, that the State has provided - what he says is - information calculated to prejudice the court,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien said she had offered to make Volker available to the defence to help them understand the information in the lever arch files.
“He could have responded to their questions. If they (the defence) were aware that these were their issues, then they should have indicated a year ago when they got all the documents. Instead, they delayed it until now and now bring the issue up,” she said.
The case is expected to continue on Friday.