Pietermaritzburg - A former policeman's testimony that murder accused Rajivee Soni had offered him R25 000 to plant cocaine in a doctor's surgery was denied in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday.
Soni is standing trial for the murder of Dr Bhavish Sewram. Soni allegedly denigrated and harassed Sewram, allegedly in a bid to drive him out of KwaZulu-Natal, before he was shot dead as he left his surgery in May 2013.
The indictment alleges that Soni suspected Sewran was having an affair with his wife.
The witness who alleged Soni had made him the offer is accomplice-turned-State witness, former policeman Sugen Naidoo.
Although Naidoo admitted he had been an alcoholic, drug addict and had committed many crimes, he said he was now a changed man.
Naidoo told the court “the accused (Soni) wanted me to go into Dr Sewram's surgery to plant drugs in his desk drawer and arrest him for possession of drugs”.
Naidoo said he considered the offer because he wanted to make money from Soni and not because of friendship. He said he needed the money to reduce the debts he incurred in buying drugs for himself.
Naren Singh, for Soni, said the alleged plan to plant drugs in the doctor's surgery was not feasible as there were people in the surgery at the time.
Naidoo said Soni gave him money to buy drugs to plant in the surgery. Naidoo said he got the drugs from his brother-in-law, a drug dealer.
Naidoo said he paid R1000 for cocaine. He said he did not try to plant drugs in the surgery, but instead made up excuses for not doing so.
One of the excuses was that a colleague had put the drugs into his own pants' pocket and his wife had washed the pants.
The trial continues.
Sapa