Eddie Obeid is seeking to delay his criminal trial because of "enormous pre-trial publicity" and fellow former Labor minister Ian Macdonald is having difficulty funding his defence "on a parliamentary pension".
The former NSW powerbrokers both pleaded not guilty to misconduct charges at the Supreme Court in Sydney on Friday with their trials set down for October 12 and March 14 respectively.
Obeid, who was up first on Friday, is accused of making inducements to former Maritime NSW boss Steve Dunn in relation to family-owned cafe leases at Sydney's Circular Quay.
Obeid's barrister, John Stratton SC, said his client would seek to have the trial delayed because of the case's high profile and for it to be judge-only.
The courtroom was so packed that Obeid missed out on a seat and stood throughout his proceedings.
Macdonald's charges stem from his alleged handling of a lucrative mining licence at Doyle's Creek in the Hunter Valley.
His lawyer, Nicholas Dan, told the court on Friday his client was having difficulty coming up with the money to pay for a legal team as he is "only on a parliamentary pension".
Macdonald's friend and former union official, John Maitland, also appeared on Friday and pleaded not guilty to two charges related to the mining licence.
Their eight-week trial is expected to start on March 14 next year and hear from some 30 witnesses, the court was told.
Justice Peter Johnson said Obeid's trial is estimated to take four weeks.
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