That was late last week.

In Wagga Local Court on Wednesday, Mr Barron asked magistrate Michael Crompton for more time to reply to the prosecution’s voluminous brief of evidence against his client, former chief executive officer of the Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation (RivMed), Selena Lyons.

Lyons has pleaded not guilty to 28 fraud charges.

Mr Barron told the court the brief of evidence comprised probably 20,000 pages.

“It’s taken the (Commonwealth) Director of Public Prosecutions two years to compile it (and) it will take me more than half a week to go through it,” Mr Barron said.

Mr Crompton gave Mr Barron more time, adjourning the case to November 23.

The prosecution of Lyons follows an investigation by the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations.

The registrar alleges that between October 14, 2011, and April 17, 2014, Lyons authorised payment for travel and accommodation allowances for days she was not travelling for work purposes, or another organisation had already paid for her travel, accommodation and meals.

It is also alleged that on October 29, 2012, Lyons misused RivMed’s credit card by making an unauthorised purchase.

Lyons was charged in August and pleaded not guilty the first time the case was mentioned in court, September 21.

She was not required to be in court for Wednesday’s mention. The court heard she would also be excused at the next mention, providing there is no committal.

The charges against Lyons carry a maximum penalty of between $220,000 and $340,000, or five years in jail, or both.

RivMed provides medical and dental care to Indigenous Australians in and around Wagga and was headed by Lyons between March, 2010, and May, 2014.

She has worked in management roles in Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and government agencies for 25 years.