An alleged bogus veterinarian, who had been evading police since escaping from custody more than three years ago, would appear in the Kroonstad magistrate's Court on fraud and theft charges on Thursday, police said on Wednesday.
The suspect, Peter James Keniry, is alleged to have practised as a vet without the necessary qualifications since 1972.
He was caught out earlier this year after his employer ran into the real vet whose identity the alleged fraudster had adopted for the purposes of getting a job, according to northern Free State police spokesperson Captain Elsabe Augoustides.
Keniry was in 1989 sentenced to a suspended jail sentence after being convicted on 29 charges of fraud, theft and posing as a vet.
He was again arrested in Germiston in November 1996, but escaped during a court appearance in February the following year.
It is suspected that he then practiced as a vet in various towns on the Rand and in Welkom in the Free State.
Keniry, 45, is alleged to have used at least nine aliases during his "career" as a vet.
It is suspected that he took on the identity of registered veterinarians, and then applying for cheque accounts and bank overdrafts in their names.
Police believed he amassed about R800 000 in this manner, and spent the money on a number of luxury cars, among other things.
He has worked in numerous towns in the Pretoria region, Vereeniging, Meyerton and on the Rand.
In May this year, Keniry allegedly applied for work at the Bloukrans Animal Clinic in Bothaville under the name of Dr Andre Raff.
The clinic was run by Dr Johan Rabie, who was at that stage practising in the United Kingdom.
Augoustides said Rabie's wife became suspicious of Keniry when he allegedly could not work out certain formulas. She contacted her husband, who said that he ran into the real Dr Raff overseas.
Keniry was arrested in Bothaville on May 24. Police allegedly found two false passports in his possession - one South Africa and one British.
He appeared in the Kroonstad magistrate's Court on May 29, and was remanded in custody. - Sapa