Johannesburg - An aircraft was allegedly stolen in Midrand and shipped off to Antarctica before the owner knew it was missing.
Tzaneen lawyer Conrad Kruger, 47, has been accused of stealing the R15 million Eurocopter and transporting it abroad.
Members from the Organised Crime Unit arrested him in Germiston on Tuesday for the alleged fraud and theft.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said Kruger was the previous owner of the Eurocopter and had sold it to someone else. After buying the aircraft, the new owner took it to undergo maintenance at Grand Central Airport in Midrand.
“The suspect allegedly went behind the complainant’s back, claimed the aircraft from the workshop and shipped it to Antarctica,” Mulaudzi said.
Kruger had secured a lucrative deal with the Scandinavian government and the aircraft is being used for geological expeditions, said Mulaudzi.
The owner of the Eurocopter went to check on his aircraft and was told Kruger had taken it.
When confronted, Kruger allegedly said he would bring the aircraft back.
The owner then approached the Hawks, and Kruger had been arrested, said Mulaudzi.
Kruger appeared in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court yesterday and was granted R25 000 bail on condition he hand over his passport and not travel overseas without the consent of the prosecutor and investigating officer.
The Eurocopter is in Antarctica, but Kruger said it would soon be on its way back to South Africa.
He said he believed the case was a civil matter and he should not have been charged criminally.
The lawyer said there was a dispute about who the real owner of the aircraft was.
“I deny any wrongdoing,” Kruger said.
The Star