A director of the liquidated Bathong travel agency, David Phokeng, was arrested on Monday in a bid to make him co-operate with the liquidation inquiry.
Bellville magistrate Mannie van Reenen ordered the arrest after the attorney acting for the liquidators, Bernhard Kurz, complained that Phokeng regarded the hearings as a joke.
Bathong is one of the travel agencies involved in the parliamentary Travelgate scam.
He complained that Phokeng — who was called to the witness stand on Monday — had failed to comply with the court’s orders to give information to the liquidators and to give them access to bank statements.
Phokeng claimed on Monday he was not a signatory to one of the bank accounts. However Kurz then showed the court copies of cheques drawn on the account signed by him.
”I agree with Mr Kurz’s application,” said Van Reenen.
”One doesn’t trifle with orders, one doesn’t play around with orders being issued by a presiding officer,” said Van Reenen.
Kurz said Phokeng would be detained for as long as it took him to make up his mind to co-operate and to come up with a clear plan of how he intended to do so.
Phokeng was taken down to the holding cells below the court soon afterwards. – Sapa