Hawks man flew to Germany to get data on murder accused
A HAWKS official and state prosecutor Marius Stander flew to Germany to obtain bank statements, witness affidavits and tax records crucial to the trial of murder accused Jens Leunberg and Kristina Adler.
The documents, evidence in a trial-within-a-trial, include personal information of Leunberg, 40, and Adler, 43.
The pair, both German citizens, are standing trial for the murder of Claus Schroeder and two fraud charges.
Hawks Warrant Officer Daniel Siebert told the Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday he and Stander went to Germany in April 2011 to obtain the documents from German authorities.
He said the documents were crucial to the fraud charges against the two.
“We were shown a lot of evidence the police had obtained. The German authorities acted in good faith and began their investigations before they received the official letter of request,” Siebert said.
The letter of request was e-mailed before a formal request was submitted through diplomatic channels, he said.
“We were surprised the investigation had already been done by them,” Siebert said.
On Tuesday, the legal representatives for Leunberg and Adler questioned the validity of the documents and whether they had been obtained through the correct channels.
“It was not within my power or ability to influence or direct German authorities in their response to the letter of request,” Siebert said.
He denied having any contact with the witnesses interrogated by German officials.
It is alleged that Adler and Leunberg presented fraudulent bank statements to Schroeder and South African officials when they indicated they wanted to buy Schroeder’s Thornhill farm in 2009.
When he became suspicious of the pair, he was allegedly lured to a nearby kloof by Leunberg and killed. The body was never found. The trial continues.