The forensic audit report by KPMG in the racketeering trial of former Mangaung mayor Pappie Mokoena is "skewed and incorrect", the Bloemfontein High Court heard on Monday.
Johan Nel, defence attorney for Mokoena, told the State's first witness, KPMG forensic auditor Cornelius Fourie, that the report created a false impression for the reader.
Mokoena, his wife, and 18 others face a total of 259 charges including fraud, theft, corruption and money laundering involving an estimated R130-million.
The case follows an investigation by the now-disbanded Scorpions into the Mangaung local municipality in 2005.
The matter resumed with Nel cross-examining Fourie on the 600-page report, which he testified to in 2009.
The report was supported by evidence of some 900,000 pages, which includes statements of the municipal bank account, those of various companies, copies of invoices, municipal memoranda, other documents and emails.
On Monday, Nel questioning Fourie on the evidence (documents) on which the report was based.
Referring to handwritten notes on some documents, allegedly written by some of the accused endorsing catering events, Nel submitted that "mirror images" of the same notes appeared on other documents on different dates.
He argued that it was obvious that the same notes had been "copied" to different documents and that the report did not tell the reader to "take cognisance" thereof.
Nel submitted that the report also stated "categorically" in some aspects that accused 1 (Mokoena) had approved events which was not the case.
"Your report creates a false impression to the reader," he said.
The other accused include the former municipal manager Mojalefa Matlole, former municipal speaker Zongezile Zumane, former business manager Mzwandile Silwana, and Jakes Thithi, a political adviser to the former mayor.
Also included were Silwana's wife Brigitte, Evodia Kok (Zumane's personal assistant), Laetitia Hoffman (Mokoena's personal assistant), Buyelwa Khethelo, a businesswoman from Rocklands, and two Heidedal businessmen - Keabecoe and Kegomodicoe Lekone.
The trial continues on Tuesday. - Sapa