Johannesburg - Ironically, the name brand of the shoe that was allegedly used to smuggle a cellphone to Radovan Krejcir in prison was Crime London, police spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale has confirmed.
Last Sunday, independent estate agent and Bedfordview resident Amanda Papoutsis was arrested when she went to visit the Czech fugitive and suspected underworld kingpin.
She allegedly brought him the pair of shoes, but before Krejcir reached his cell at Zonderwater prison, the iPhone hidden inside the sole of a shoe began to ring. His son Denis was on the other end, calling from Poland.
Crime London is an exclusive English label of handmade shoes. The cheapest pair of male shoes on their website is £129 (R2 670).
Makgale said Papoutsis told police she went to see Krejcir because she was an estate agent who was looking into selling his Kloof Road, Bedfordview, home.
This is unlikely, however, as the SA Revenue Service won a preservation order against Krejcir’s assets in 2014 to recover money for his tax bill. His home in Bedfordview and another property on the Vaal River both belong to the state, which will sell them.
An auctioneer who has been hired to auction both the homes told The Star that Papoutsis didn’t work for them.
Kay Greenley from Michael James Auction Centre confirmed they had been hired by curating firm Sechaba Trust to auction the homes. They had no further details about the auctions at this stage as the curator still had to sign off on the auctions.
“There can be no private estate agent working on the property. We are the auctioneers assigned by the curator.”
Krejcir bought the luxury home in Bedfordview for R13 million and the Vaal property for R4m.
The Star
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