Former Fidentia executive chairperson J Arthur Brown on Friday vowed in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court to ”vigorously defend myself” on multiple charges of alleged embezzlement.
At the resumed hearing of his protracted bail application, which is expected to run for the whole of next week as well, he told magistrate Justhree Steyn: ”I am innocent — I will plead not guilty to all the charges, and defend myself vigorously.”
Dressed neatly in black trousers, an open-neck white shirt and a black jacket, his hair cropped short, he spoke with the confidence of a successful businessman addressing a board meeting as he testified to persuade the court that his release on bail was in the interests of justice.
Brown (38) was already out on R1-million bail on charges relating to Fidentia and the Transport, Education and Training Authority (Teta), and further R5 000 bail on similar charges relating to the two concerns, Fundi and Infinity, when he was rearrested recently on further charges involving the Antheru Trust.
He was questioned at length by his attorney, Rashad Khan.
He said he was married with two sons, aged 13 and seven, and was currently in custody, awaiting trial, in the hospital section at Pollsmoor Prison.
He told the court the Fidentia Group had been placed under curatorship in February last year, but that the decision to place the group under curatorship had been ”catastrophic”.
He was never given an opportunity to oppose the high court application for the company to be placed under curatorship. ”Police frog-marched me off the Fidentia premises, and I was forbidden to set foot on the premises again.”
He had intended to oppose the application for the final curatorship order, but was arrested before he could do so.
”I was unable to oppose the application, and to present to the court the true facts. The curators claimed that R678-million was missing — or some ridiculous sum like that — which they later reduced to R270-million, which was still ridiculous.
”News headlines screamed that I had stolen billions from widows and orphans.”
Brown said his bail application in the Fidentia-Teta case had taken 21 days before his eventual release on bail, but that in the proceedings ”all sorts of allegations were made about me and my temper, and that I had links to all kinds of syndicates”.
The hearing continues. — Sapa