Peter PocklingtonPhil Mccarten
Peter Pocklington's bankruptcy fraud trial has been postponed until March.
"The jury trial in this matter is set for March 9," according to filings in U.S. District Court in California.
The new date is a seven-week delay from plans for a Jan. 19 trial into a two-count felony indictment against the former owner of the Edmonton Oilers. It marks the fourth time that Mr. Pocklington's scheduled trial has been postponed since he was criminally charged on March 11, 2009.
Court documents filed last year said Mr. Pocklington could "investigate possible defences in the case, to explore potential plea options with the government."
New documents were filed last week in U.S. District Court, but those papers have been sealed by the judge, Virginia Phillips. A source in the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday he isn't able to comment on a potential out-of-court settlement or possible plea bargain, adding that "trial dates can change for a variety of reasons."
Mr. Pocklington, 68, pleaded not guilty last March. He was one of Alberta's best-known businessmen before his corporate empire crumbled in the late 1990s.
Brent Jang