Estate funds to cover Krejcir’s legal fees

PRETORIA: Some of the money from Radovan Krejcir’s estate will be used to pay his lawyers.

This emerged after the curator in charge of his assets was ordered by the High Court in Johannesburg last month to pay over money to Krejcir’s lawyers.

Curator bonis, Cloete Murray, who was appointed in 2013 in terms of a preservation order by the South African Revenue Service (Sars), had to pay over R700 000 to Nardus Grove attorneys.

Grove brought an application before the court last month, when money sent by Krejcir’s mother Nadezda Krejcirova to Edenvale resident Pushpaveni Naidoo for Krejcir’s legal fees, was seized by police when they arrested Naidoo at an Absa bank in Bedfordview.

Grove wrote in an affidavit that he had previously been acting on behalf of Krejcir for one of the co-accused in the kidnapping and drug dealing trial.

“I also acted in the Wynberg matter on behalf of various individuals on the specific instructions of Krejcir.”

He said he was owed R468 835 by Krejcir and withdrew as an attorney, but that in October, R98 221 was transferred from overseas via the Reserve Bank directly to his trust account as part payment of the arrears due to him. Krejcir told him that Naidoo would be paying him the rest.

Naidoo had gone to different bank accounts and withdrew R150 000, but when she went to withdraw R50 000 at a bank in Primrose, the transaction was red flagged. She was arrested when she tried to withdraw money again in Bedfordview.

According to an affidavit by investigating officer Makopole Mabuti, there is still an active investigation against Naidoo for fraud and money laundering, even though the charges were withdrawn against her.

“There is a pre-existing relationship between Naidoo and Krejcir which dates as far back as 2012. This is not the first time that Krejicr has paid cash to Naidoo and it is not the first time that Naidoo has transferred cash and/or assets belonging to Krejcir and on his behalf while he has been in prison,” Mabuti said.

As far as the R98 221 which was transferred into Grove’s account, Mabuti said it raised a key question. “Why was it necessary to transfer the money to Naidoo’s accounts, in order to pay the legal fees of the deponent on behalf of the applicants, when a couple of weeks prior he had been paid directly from this overseas account?”

In a warning statement made when she was arrested, Naidoo said she had met Krejcir through her ex-boyfriend, Emile Christopher, who is Marissa’s brother. “Marissa is the mother of Radovan’s child,” she said.

Naidoo said she was unemployed and could not pay her rent during November 2012 and March 2013 and Krejcir gave her R75 000.

“Subsequently, I was requested to assist to purchase groceries and other items for Radovan, on instructions of Marlene (Denis Krejcir’s girlfriend), who left money with me to purchase the items as well as R100 000 which I was informed was for legal fees.”

Naidoo said she paid this and a further R50 000 to BDK Attorneys. On another occasion, she was brought a pair of shoes by a man called Paul.

“He arrived at my gate with an Audi. I gave the shoes, together with the groceries and other items on the list, to Amanda who came to collect it from me to take to Radovan…. I did not know that the shoes that Paul brought contained a hidden cellphone,” Naidoo said.

The court ordered that Murray pay Grove the money Naidoo had been sent, as well as from the assets from Krejcir’s estate.