Johannesburg - Prosecutor Louis Mashiane and a witness were threatened, allegedly by Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and his three co-accused, the Palm Ridge Regional Court heard on Monday.
Investigating officer Mashudu Freddy Ramuhala read statements by the two individuals.
Mashiane said he received a call from a private number while driving from Limpopo to Gauteng two weeks ago, and was told not to oppose bail in the Krejcir matter.
“The caller said if I knew what was good for me I would not oppose bail.”
Mashiane did not answer another private line call later.
“I suspected that the person who called wanted to intimidate me so that I should not oppose bail for Krejcir,” read Mashiane's statement.
Krejcir, Desai Luphondo and two members of the specialist police unit the Hawks - Warrant Officers Samuel Modise Maropeng and George Jeff Nthoroane - are applying for bail.
They were arrested last month and face charges of kidnapping, assault and attempted murder for an incident that allegedly happened in June.
Another statement read on Monday was that of an unidentified witness who was told at a meeting by a man, also unidentified, that Luphondo had called from prison and said he knew the witness was the one who had caused the arrest.
The witness was told “they were going to show” him.
At a follow-up meeting, he saw the accused were no longer cross with him because they realised he was the one who could save them.
The witness received a call from an unknown number in which he was instructed to “leave the white man alone”.
The four accused sat calmly in the dock and listened to proceedings, watched closely by armed police officers. Luphondo kept taking notes.
Their relatives arrived shortly before the case started.
Maropeng kept himself busy by reading a copy of Drum magazine during a short break.
Krejcir's wife Katerina Krejcirova wore a white jacket and jeans and sat next to their son, Dennis.
The bail hearing continues. - Sapa