Golfer Ernie Els’s former manager Nic Frangos called on the police on Saturday to speed up their probe into businessman David Rosen, who fell to his death at Sandton’s Michelangelo hotel earlier this month.
He denied a Saturday newspaper report that police had questioned him in connection with the incident.
However, Johannesburg police spokesperson Superintendent Chris Wilken said police had dealt with Frangos ”through his lawyers” and not questioned him personally.
Newspapers reported that Rosen laid a complaint against Frangos shortly before his death, saying he had received numerous death threats and had been intimidated.
The Saturday Star said Rosen, Frangos and a Mark Robinson had been involved in a joint venture relating to cage fighting, an extreme sport where opponents fight inside a steel enclosure with no holds barred.
Frangos said in a press statement the venture had failed because of fraud and theft.
”As a result, the company laid criminal charges of theft and fraud against Mr Rosen and his partner more than a month ago.
”The charges were laid with the Johannesburg commercial-crimes unit and involved more than R2-million. The company is also pursuing civil action against Mr Rosen and his partner.”
Frangos added that on learning that Rosen had lodged a complaint with the police against him and three others, his company’s attorney had contacted the police.
”He provided the police with a thorough record of the matters relating to the company’s legal dispute with Mr Rosen and his partner.
”My colleagues and I state categorically that any suggestion or implication that we were in any way involved in the death of Mr Rosen is simply not true,” he said.
”It is obviously very difficult to defend one’s reputation against an unsubstantiated attack from the grave and I therefore urge the police to put maximum effort in completing their investigation.” — Sapa