Cape Town - Convicted Czech criminal Radovan Krejcir has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in the capital of his home country, but doesn’t look set to go to jail any time soon, and intends staying in South Africa indefinitely.
Krejcir was sentenced in Prague last Friday after being convicted in absentia of money-laundering involving R227 million. The sentence is cumulative and involves three criminal convictions in the Czech Republic against him since 2006.
South African authorities, including the Department of Home Affairs and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), have failed to eject Krejcir from South Africa or to prosecute him after his arrest here for fraud and armed robbery.
But NPA spokesman Medupe Simasiku said on Friday he believed the sentence imposed on Krejcir in the Czech Republic could be used to deny him refugee status.
He pointed out, however, that the South African cases against Krejcir had been withdrawn because of lack of evidence.
Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa warned: “Those who seek to subvert the rules and think they can abuse South African law will ultimately face the might of that very same law.”
Meanwhile, Krejcir’s friend, Serbian assassin Dobrosav Gavric, who has twice been refused refugee status after being sentenced in 2006 to 30 years in jail for triple murder in Serbia, has again appealed against the refusal.
Extradition proceedings against Krejcir and Gavric have yet to begin. The two, who both entered South Africa on false passports in 2007, are launching every conceivable appeal in an effort to stay out of jail and secure refugee status.
In a further twist, on Thursday the media were barred from attending Krejcir’s appeal against South Africa’s refusal to grant him refugee status. The Pretoria High Court ruled all asylum applications before the Refugee Appeal Board were “absolutely confidential at all times”, to protect refugees. The court said a blanket ban was further justified to “protect the privacy of witnesses, relatives and associates”.
Krejcir said he would continue appealing to secure himself refugee status. He would also appeal against his prison sentence in the Czech Republic.
“[Last] Friday’s sentence happened in the lowest court in Prague. Unlike in South Africa, a sentence of the magistrate’s court in Prague doesn’t lead to a person being jailed. I will appeal to the Czech Republic’s High Court, then to the Appeal Court and the Constitutional Court, if necessary.”
If he was refused by the Constitutional Court, he would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights – “where I have already won two cases”.
Krejcir welcomed the decision to ban the media from the proceedings, saying he planned to call high-profile foreign politicians, police, lawyers and other professionals from the Czech Republic and the Seychelles to help him win refugee status.
“It’s important that the identities of these high-profile people be protected,” he said.
Krejcir fled the Czech Republic for the Seychelles after being sentenced in absentia to six and a half years in jail for fraud, before coming to South Africa.
The Czech fugitive was closely linked to security boss Cyril Beeka and strip club boss Lolly Jackson, both of whom were murdered.
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, who is working to see Krejcir thrown out of South Africa, said it would have been nice for the refugee hearing to be open to the public to “ensure things are done properly”.
“If he’s a legitimate refugee, then the moon is made of green cheese,” O’Sullivan said, adding this country had enough of its own home-grown criminals, and didn’t “need to import them”. O’Sullivan said it was time for South Africa to take a stand against foreign criminals entering the country.
“… It’s shocking that both of them [Krejcir and Gavric] are fugitives from crime and both entered South Africa on fake passports.”
Weekend Argus