An elderly blind man who allegedly stole about R4-million with his wife held up proceedings in the Pretoria Commercial Crime Court on Monday because he was drunk.
News24 reported on Tuesday that Magistrate Desmond Nair postponed proceedings until after lunch in order for Petrus Engelbrecht (60) to sober up.
He and his wife Johanna (61) presumably gambled away the money they allegedly stole from estates. They were arrested early on Monday morning after handing themselves to the investigating officer.
The pair from Mulbarton in the south of Johannesburg faced 76 charges of theft, fraud and money-laundering. Engelbrecht, a professional estate planner and administrator, and his wife allegedly stole about R3,9-million in 2004 by drawing cheques in his favour from estates.
The withdrawals were made without the knowledge and consent of the estate owners, who were family friends of the Engelbrechts.
An inebriated Engelbrecht appeared in court early on Monday morning. When the matter resumed after lunch, Nair first made sure that Engelbrecht was sober and could understand the proceedings. His wife, who apparently suffers from a stress and anxiety syndrome, testified during the bail application that her husband was blind and that she did everything for him.
She testified she had drawn some of the cheques from the estate accounts, but claimed her husband had said he was investing the money.
She also said she and her husband gambled and she took him to casinos.
Glynnis Breytenbach, for the state, put it to Engelbrecht that an estate administrator was in a position of trust and that the plaintiffs in the case were their friends.
Yet, the Engelbrechts still embezzled the estates and ”emptied” them.
Engelbrecht’s wife collapsed during the cross-examination, but later continued.
Breytenbach did not oppose a ruling to release Johanna Engelbrecht on warning. Her husband was remanded in custody ahead of his bail application on Tuesday. – Sapa