A council official who accepted thousands of pounds worth of bribes from contractors will have to wait until the New Year to learn his sentence.
A Judge has delayed the sentencing of Anthony Bodgin until March at the earliest and he may not know his fate until the end of a trial involving the contractors who are alleged to have paid him.
Anthony Bodgin, aged 63, from Melbourne Street, Tiverton, has already admitted accepting corrupt payments when he was a senior official in Exeter City Council's housing department.
His case was adjourned until March 27 by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, when he will return to court with the four fellow defendants.
A trial is expected to take place next summer of two men and a women who have denied their involvement in the alleged scam.
One of the other four defendants also admitted conspiracy to steal from Exeter City Council.
The charges against all the defendants allege they were involved in the corrupt awarding of contracts for scaffolding work or insulation work which was not carried out.
Former Exeter City Council special projects and tenant liaison manager Bodgin has admitted a total of eight counts including theft, fraud, conspiracy and misuse of his public office.
He admitted receiving payments running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Harold McGirl, aged 63, of Southbourne Road, St Austell, admitted one count relating to a payment of £5,000 to Bodgin to secure a £81,000 contract.
Building contractor Kevin Wingrave, aged 50, of Periwinkle Drive, Plymouth, denied five counts of conspiracy to steal. His partner Lynda McMayon, aged 56, of the same address, denied one similar charge.
Gary Rawlings, aged 57, of Langford, Biggleswade, denied conspiracy to steal from Exeter City Council.
The charges relate to work done by a number of firms for Exeter City Council and the Devon Tenants Partnership Group between 2005 and 2010.
Companies including First Scaffolding, MAC Services, Miller Pattison ltd, were allegedly paid £700,000 of public money.
The court appearances follow a lengthy police inquiry codenamed Operation Bathgate.
Judge Francis Gilbert, QC adjourned all the cases for a pre-trial review at which the judge who will hear the case next summer will decide when to sentence Bodgin and McGirl.
