The fraud case against Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir was postponed until April 7 by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court
The postponement was for a formal bail application.
Krejcir’s defence team asked that he be kept at the Johannesburg Central police station until his next appearance, as it was more accessible. However, State prosecutor Riegal Du Toit asked that Krejcir be detained at Leeuwkop prison instead as he had been in contact with two men who were in custody in the Uwe Gemballa murder.
The magistrate ruled that Krejcir be held at Leeuwkop.
Du Toit arrived at the court with four policemen carrying R5 rifles. This was part of the 24-hour protection assigned to him after his name was found on an alleged hit list during a raid on Krejcir’s house last week. Also named on the list were: Cyril Beeka, who was shot dead in Cape Town last week, security consultant Paul O’Sullivan, and urologist Marian Tupy.
Tupy, who was Krejcir’s private physician, previously admitted falsifying insurance documents so that Krejcir could be paid out R4.5 million for bladder cancer.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison, suspended for five years, as part of a plea agreement in exchange for his testimony against Krejcir.
Krejcir’s wife Katerina and son Denis were in court during his appearance on Monday.
The 42-year-old handed himself over to police on Friday.
Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela said Tuesday’s raid was to arrest Krejcir for allegedly fraudulently receiving an insurance payout. As a result of the list of names that was found, he would now also be questioned about the murder of Beeka.
Last year, police “exchanged information” with Krejcir during their investigation into the murder of Teazers strip club owner Lolly Jackson, who also lived in Bedfordview.
Ian Small-Smith, Krejcir’s lawyer at the time, said he was helping the police to try and unravel what had happened.
Krejcir had agreed to make himself available for further inquiries, he said.
Krejcir has been sentenced in absentia in the Czech Republic to six-and-a-half years for tax fraud and has also been charged with other crimes, apparently conspiracy to murder, counterfeiting, extortion and abduction.
He was arrested on an Interpol red notice when he entered South Africa from Madagascar using a passport in the name of Egbert Jules Savy.
Polela said that, to his knowledge, police had not issued a new Interpol notice for Krejcir.