A spat between the state and the defence — representing two men facing 163 counts of fraud — over trial dates, led to the trial of Michael Rathbone and Leon Lewitton being postponed until August.

Rathbone, 32, and Lewitton, 30, are accused of swindling almost R18m from investors who poured their hard-earned money into a Ponzi scheme, headed by the pair, through their company, Helping Hands Invest (Pty) Ltd.