JUST IN: State should cover my legal costs - Esau

During a case management court session for the Fishrot trial, the former minister of fisheries and marine resources, Bernhardt Esau, told Judge Kobus Miller that he expects the State to cover his legal costs because he is being charged in his capacity as minister. Judge Miller reminded Esau that he has the right to apply for legal aid, but Esau responded that he wants a legal representative of his own choosing, and that the State should bear the financial burden.

This follows the withdrawal of prominent lawyer Richard Metcalfe and his firm Metcalfe Beukes Attorneys as Esau's legal representatives. Metcalfe's partner Florian Beukes is, however, still representing Esau in his joint bail application with co-accused Nigel van Wyk as a gesture of good faith.