/ 6 February 2015

Radovan Krejcir to be charged with Sam Issa’s murder

Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and three others are to appear in court to be charged with the murder of businessman Sam Issa.
Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and three others are to appear in court to be charged with the murder of businessman Sam Issa.

Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and three others are due to appear in the Germiston magistrate’s court on Friday to be charged with the murder of businessperson Sam Issa.

“They are appearing this morning … where they will be charged for murder,” said Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale.

“All of them are already behind bars, as we speak, for other crimes.”

Makgale identified the other three accused as Siboniso Miya, Siphiwe Memela, and Nkanyiso Mafunda.

Issa was shot dead in an apparent hit in Bedfordview on October 12 2013, while sitting in his Audi Q7 – allegedly after he had spent the previous evening at Krejcir’s Bedfordview Money Point gold exchange business. 

A white Ford Ranger pulled up next to Issa’s car and the occupants opened fire. More than 30 shots were fired at his car, killing him. 

Issa, a Lebanese national, had been living illegally in South Africa for 15 years. A known underworld figure in Bedfordview, it was reported that he was a drug trafficker.

Police officers linked to Krejcir
There have been suggestions that police officers, including officials at the Hawks, have been pulling the case in different directions due to varying agendas.

What these are remain unclear, but they apparently relate to concerns that certain individuals may be entangled with the Czech fugitive.

National police commissioner Riah Phiyega’s attempts to pull together the various units working on the Krejcir case also seem to have miscarried. 

Eighteen months ago, she announced she had established a task team consolidating all the relevant law enforcement agencies.

The task team was formed after several hair-raising events, including the shooting of Issa, and a bomb explosion at Krejcir’s business in November 2013 that killed two of his associates.

Krejcir was arrested shortly after the explosion on charges relating to kidnapping and attempted murder. 

He remains in jail while he stands trial. Significantly, two of his co-accused are policemen, and several other police officers have been implicated and charged in relation to ­various other crimes allegedly linked to him. – Sapa, Staff reporter