Krejcir's lawyers: We have a strong case

The Czech businessman is appearing in court today on charges of assault and kidnapping.

The Czech businessman is appearing in court today on charges of assault and kidnapping. Picture: Christa van der Walt/EWN

Eyewitness News | 2106 days ago

JOHANNESBURG - Radovan Krejcir's legal team says it has a strong case and believes the Czech businessman will be granted bail.

Krejcir is making an appearance in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court this morning.

He has spent the past week in a medical facility in Johannesburg after he claimed he was tortured by police following his arrest last month.

Krejcir and two Hawks officers are facing charges of assault and kidnapping relating to a case opened in June.

Warrant officers, Jeff Nthoroane (46) and Samuel 'Saddam' Maropeng (41) were arrested last week by a multi-disciplinary task team investigating crimes linked to Krejcir.

His lawyer Ulrich Roux says, "He is fine. He is still being detained in a medical facility, where he will stay until he makes his appearance. Whether he needs to go back there or whether he is released on bail depends on what happens. But at this stage he is doing very well."

Krejcir's legal team is expected to dispute claims by the state that he was under the heavy influence of a banned substance when he was arrested.

This morning's bail application is expected to feature controversial former Crime Intelligence head Richard Mdluli, a cocaine binge, corruption, torture and tazers.

Road closure ahead of Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir court appearance in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on 01 December 2013. Picture: Christa Van der Walt/EWN

It's also reported Krejcir will argue he was arrested by Mdluli's ally, Crime Intelligence Colonel Nkosana "Killer" Ximba in an attempt to force him into a confession.

Meanwhile, the South African Revenue Service has frozen the Czech's assets and a multi-disciplinary task team has been investigating multiple underworld murders he has been linked to.

Krecjir is also due to appear in court this week to fight on-going attempts to extradite him to his home country where he has been charged in absentia for money laundering.

Timeline

Comments

EWN welcomes all comments that are constructive, contribute to discussions in a meaningful manner and take stories forward.

However, we will NOT condone the following:

- Racism (including offensive comments based on ethnicity and nationality)
- Sexism
- Homophobia
- Religious intolerance
- Cyber bullying
- Hate speech
- Derogatory language
- Comments inciting violence.

We ask that your comments remain relevant to the articles they appear on and do not include general banter or conversation as this dilutes the effectiveness of the comments section.

We strive to make the EWN community a safe and welcoming space for all.

EWN reserves the right to: 1) remove any comments that do not follow the above guidelines; and, 2) ban users who repeatedly infringe the rules.

Should you find any comments upsetting or offensive you can also flag them and we will assess it against our guidelines.

EWN is constantly reviewing its comments policy in order to create an environment conducive to constructive conversations.