Johannesburg - Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court on the East Rand on Monday and once again applied for bail.
Dressed in a black suit, he listened attentively as his lawyer read out his affidavit. In it, Krejcir said he was launching a bail application based on new facts.
His lawyer said in the fresh bail bid that affidavits submitted by SA Revenue Service (Sars) officials relating to his tax affairs were not entirely correct. Krejcir said he was unable to deal with the issues pertaining to his tax affairs owing to his incarceration.
He said his family stood to lose everything if he was not released to attend to the Sars complaints and his family businesses.
Krejcir maintained he was not a flight risk, as most of his assets were in the country. He said he knew there was an international warrant for his arrest, and understood he would face arrest if he left South Africa.
Krejcir said his Seychelles and Czech passports had expired and he included copies of these in his affidavit.
Krejcir said he could pay a substantial amount for bail, would hand in all his family's passports, would agree to be placed under house arrest and could report to a police station twice daily.
Krejcir, Siboniso Miya, Sandton businessman Desai Luphondo, and three members of the Hawks - Samuel Modise Maropeng, George Jeff Nthoroane and Ian Jan Mofokeng - were arrested for the kidnapping and attempted murder of an East Rand man.
In June last year they allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a man whose brother, known only as “Doctor”, disappeared with a 25kg shipment of tik he had been recruited to help smuggle through OR Tambo International Airport.
They allegedly kept the man at Krejcir's Money Point business in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, for four days, and assaulted him.
On January 10, the High Court in Johannesburg denied Krejcir leave to appeal the dismissal of his application for bail by the Palm Ridge Regional Court on December 13.
All the accused are out on bail except Krejcir and Miya. Miya is facing several other criminal charges in a different court.
As in his previous appearances, security was tight around the court with the road leading to the court blocked off. Outside the courtroom, scores of police officers lined the benches. People entering the court were searched. Inside court, more officers filled the gallery.
Krejcir's wife, Katerina Krejcirova, was present for the proceedings. She wore a black suit and sat next to Krejcir's son and a blonde woman in the court gallery's front row.
The State was opposing the bail.
Sapa