The Crown has expressed its growing impatience at delays to the trial of Peter Marshall, who is facing a number of fraud charges relating to the $5m collapse of Access Brokerage in late 2004.
Marshall, Access' former managing director, had been ordered to appear in Wellington District Courtbut his lawyer Sandy Baigent instead presented a medical certificate.
It asked that he be excused and the matters which were to be dealt with today, be heard at yet another hearing on Friday next week.
Marshall's trial on 14 fraud charges, brought by the Serious Fraud Office two years ago, has been delayed a number of times for medical reasons, and instead there have been a long series of procedural hearings from which Marshall himself has largely been absent.
Yesterday Crown Prosecutor Kristy McDonald said she was now "very unhappy" about the delays and "concerned about the matter dragging on".
McDonald said she was concerned the delays may mean Marshall's trial, now scheduled for late October, would be postponed once more.
Judge Ian Mill said he shared many of McDonald's concerns and while he remanded Marshall to appear to next Friday, said he expected him to appear.
Access Brokerage was wound up in late 2004 leaving clients $5 million out of pocket, according to court documents.
