NPA deliberately dragged out trial, says lawyer
THE National Prosecuting Authority dragged out the trial of Lolly Jackson’s alleged killer, George Louca, so that he would die of his terminal illness before he could take the stand.
This is according to Louca’s lawyer, Owen Blumberg, who charged that this would help the prosecuting authority save face after spending vast amounts of time and money extraditing Louca from Cyprus – especially if the authority failed to convict him on the murder.
The Cypriot died in custody on Monday night from complications related to stage-four lung cancer.
“I can see no other reason as to why they would act in a manner that flies in the face of justice,” said Blumberg.
The lawyer said he would launch a court application for an investigation into the delays. The inquiry would also investigate why the State vehemently opposed a recent application for Louca to be released on a form of medical parole for awaiting-trial prisoners.
It would also cover why other charges against Louca, used as the basis for his extradition, were not pursued.
Blumberg said he would do his best to ensure that an independent pathologist was present during Louca’s post-mortem, to ensure the death was not a result of foul play.
“He died an innocent man. In that regard, he won,” he said.
The lawyer said the State had offered Louca a plea-bargain if he pleaded guilty to the killing as an accomplice after the fact. However, his client had refused this because he did not want his children to think he was a killer.
The prosecuting authority has denied Blumberg’s assertions, saying it was not responsible for the delays.
Spokesman Velekhaya Mgobhozi said the State was ready for trial at the beginning of the year, but had still not been given “one signed affidavit from Louca or his attorney”. He said the State had extradited Louca because it had a prima facie case against him on the murder charges.
Last month’s application for Louca’s release from prison was also a delaying factor and the prosecuting authority had no control over the court roll, which was why the trial was postponed to October.
Jackson, the owner of the Teazers strip club franchise, was gunned down in Louca’s home in 2010. Louca admitted to being on the scene at the time of the killing, but blamed alleged underworld kingpin Radovan Krejcir for the crime.
The Cypriot fled the country soon after the shooting, allegedly out of fear for his own life.
When he turned up in his home town of Limassol, Cyprus, a lengthy extradition battle began.
Louca had been kept under strict supervision in prison since his return to South Africa last year, with his murder trial originally set to have started in January.
It was later postponed to October this year.
Louca died in his sleep at the hospital unit of Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria on Monday night, almost five years to the day since Jackson’s death.
Dimitri Panayiotou, Louca’s brother, was as angry as Blumberg about his brother dying alone in prison. He wept during an interview with The Mercury’s sister newspaper, The Star.
“We are very angry, hurt and disappointed, and we are speaking to our lawyers,” he said.