Panayiotou sting op queried

The trial against murder-accused Christopher Panayiotou, pictured, is nearing the end.

The businessperson is charged alongside Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko who are accused of conspiring to kidnap, rob and murder school teacher Jayde Panayiotou on April 21, 2015.

Yesterday, the defence’s last witness was called: deputy director of public prosecution (DPP) in Port Elizabeth, Advocate Indra Goberdan.

Goberdan told the court she did not give authorisation for the police undercover sting operation because it was not within her mandate.

Goberdan said the only person who gave authorisations for stings, was DPP Malherbe Marais.

She said she received a call from Marais who enquired if she had given permission for the sting.

Subsequent to that call, Goberdan said she had made a call to her colleague in Grahamstown, Selwyn Gounden, to ascertain on the admissibility of the video at court.

She said the conversation only took place after the sting had been carried out and Panayiotou had already made his first appearance as an accused in court.

In the then secret video, Panayiotou chats to middleman Luthando Siyoni. The businessperson seemingly implicates himself in his wife’s murder.

State prosecutor Marius Stander said that Marais had given specific guidelines to Gounden on how the operation should take place.

The case was postponed until Thursday next week . – ANA