Johannesburg - The National Prosecuting Authority dragged out the trial of Lolly Jackson’s alleged killer George Louca so that he would die from his terminal illness before he could take the stand.
So said Louca’s lawyer, Owen Blumberg, who charged that this would help the NPA save face after spending vast amounts of time and money extraditing Louca from Cyprus – especially if the authority failed to convict him of murder.
The Cypriot died in custody on Monday night from complications related to stage 4 lung cancer.
“I can see no other reason as to why they would act in a manner that flies in the face of justice,” Blumberg said.
The lawyer has told The Star that he will 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 never pursued.
Blumberg added he would do his best to ensure an independent pathologist attended Louca’s post-mortem, to ensure his death was not the result of foul play.
“He died an innocent man. In that regard, he won,” Blumberg pointed out.
The lawyer said the State had offered Louca a plea bargain if he pleaded guilty to the killing as an accomplice after the fact. But his client had refused because he did not want his children to think he was a killer.
The NPA has denied Blumberg’s claims, saying it was not responsible for the delays.
NPA 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 NPA 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 shortly after the shooting, allegedly out of fear for his life.
When he turned up in his hometown 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 start in January. It was later postponed to October.
Louca died in his sleep at the hospital unit of Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria, almost five years after Jackson’s death.
Dimitri Panayiotou, Louca’s brother, was just as angry as Blumberg at his brother dying alone in prison.
He wept during an interview with The Star.
“We are very angry, hurt and disappointed, and we are speaking to our lawyers to see what action we can take.
“The doctors told the court he had between one and three months to live, but they ignored this.
“What about his human rights? We took all the doctor’s certificates from Steve Biko Hospital to prove how ill he was, but the government wanted him to die in South Africa. They kept promising to release him but never did,” he said.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the investigation into Jackson’s death would now most likely take the form of an inquest into all the evidence and Louca’s statements that it was Krejcir who murdered Jackson.
Meanwhile, Jackson’s widow, Demi, told The Star she was worried that, with Louca’s death, the case might never be resolved in a court of law.
“We just hope that if George is in another place, if he did it, that he will be judged,” she said.
However, if Louca was innocent of the murder, she hoped the real culprit would be brought to justice.
Demi said on Tuesday that Jackson’s estate had still not been finalised.
His personal tax issues had been resolved, but it might be some time before his business taxes were stabilised.
In an Eyewitness News interview, Radovan Krejcir said he was not rejoicing over Louca’s death, despite the Cypriot’s claims that Krejcir was the killer.
He said he felt he had been robbed of the chance to prove in court that he was not responsible for Jackson’s death.
It is understood that Krejcir was going to be the State’s star witness in Louca’s murder trial.
Former Teazers spokesman Sean Newman tweeted: “Five years and it ends this way, almost cruel but I suppose the mystery that was Lolly in life now follows him into death. This is the end.”
Louca’s body is expected to be returned to Cyprus at the state’s expense. - Additional reporting by Anna Cox
The Star