Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Court denies bail to fugitive Krejcir
CZECH fugitive Radovan Krejcir’s history of allegations of falsifying passports, committing fraud and absconding from prison, and his country of birth, came back to haunt him yesterday.
The alleged crimes, along with his alleged inclination to intimidate witnesses, came together to thwart his bid to win his freedom yesterday. The Germiston Regional Court, sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, turned down his bid to be released on bail.
Krejcir and his co-accused Desai Luphondo, along with Hawks members Samule Modise “Saddam” Maruping and Machache George Jeff Nthoroane, face charges of kidnapping, assault and attempted murder. In June, they allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a man whose brother, known only as Doctor, disappeared with a 25kg shipment of tik he had been recruited to help smuggle through OR Tambo International Airport. They deny all charges against them.
Barring the remote chance he wins on appeal, yesterday’s ruling effectively means Krejcir will spend Christmas and almost the whole of January behind bars. He tried to conceal his distress at the ruling, but his dejection and shock were obvious. Some 10 minutes after magistrate Reginald Dama delivered the verdict, Krejcir’s wife left the courtroom.
In his verdict, Dama referred extensively to “damning evidence” from an affidavit by Johann von Loggenberg. The affidavit revealed some of Krejcir’s alleged dodgy and fraudulent business dealings in South Africa and Czech Republic, including owing a substantial debt to Sars in unpaid tax, and the alleged abduction of a Czech businessman.
Krejcir was sentenced for most of these crimes, but he absconded before serving his jail term. The court heard that he had in 2005, with the help of friends, falsified a passport and fled to South Africa.
“How can such a person be trusted, and what guarantee does the court have that given the same opportunity, he may not repeat this trickery?” Dama asked.
Meanwhile, Luphondo was released on bail of R10 000, while Maruping and Nthoroane had theirs fixed at R5 000 each. The case was postponed to January 24.