Krejcir trial hiccups
‘UNWELL’: ACCUSED ESCAPES HEARING CITING POOR HEALTH
Major drama experienced as legal eagles face-off ahead of proceedings.
The trial of Radovan Krejcir, for the murder of Sam “Cripple Sam” Issa, finally started in earnest yesterday afternoon at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
This was in front of Justice Winston Msimeki, but not before the morning was spent arguing over legal issues brought by Krejcir and his co-accused.
Siboniso Miya (accused 1), Nkanyiso Mafunda (accused 2), Simphiwe Memela (accused 3) and Krejcir (accused 4) stand accused of shooting Issa 30 times in Bedfordview in 2013 over a loan of half-a-million rands.
The state alleges Krejcir owed Issa money.
The loan was to be for bail money in a fraud case Krejcir was accused of.
Krejcir has contradicted the claim by saying his mother Nadezda Krejcirova – the Czech Republic’s 10th richest woman with an estimated worth of R180 million – paid the money to his lawyers, who offered the prosecution an opportunity to examine their books.
The trial, going since 2015, has been delayed by bail applications, changes of legal representation, and several other legal roadblocks that have prevented it moving forward.
Krejcir and his co-accused arrived at court in a blare of sirens in a multivehicle convoy. There were strict entrance requirements for media, and a heavily armed strong security detail was present inside the court room.
Krejcir’s defence advocate, Roelof van Wyk, started by bringing an application to postpone proceedings because Krejcir was not feeling well due to medication that he had received from the state psychiatrist, which was not working properly.
When state advocate Lawrence Gcaba successfully opposed the motion, Krejcir then asked for permission to leave court, and left the matter to Van Wyk.
Msimeki granted this and Krejcir had barely left when advocate Enrico Guameri brought an appli- cation for Gcaba to recuse himself on grounds of being complicit in bringing charges against Miya.
This too was shot down by Msimeki and, finally, it was the turn of Krejcir’s former co-accused Borislav Grigorov, who had turned state witness, to begin giving evidence.
There was just enough time for Grigorov to explain how he had met Krejcir, back in 2011 or 2012, and began working for him by looking after his fleet of luxury vehicles.
Grigorov explained how he had moved up the ladder to the point where he would lock up Krejcir’s gold and diamond business called Moneypoint, in Bedfordview, and would fetch him from his home in the morning before work, where he enjoyed a cigarette or two and coffee before leaving.
The trial is expected to proceed today.