/ 24 March 2011

Sars confiscates Krejcir’s cars

Sars Confiscates Krejcir's Cars

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) confiscated a Lamborghini and Ferrari belonging to Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir on Wednesday afternoon.

Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay said the vehicles were confiscated from Krejcir’s home in Bedfordview, Johannesburg.

“We confiscated a Lamborghini and Ferrari at the premises in Bedfordview in terms of the Customs Act,” he said. “It is part of the efforts by the state and law enforcement agencies involved in this case to secure assets and prevent assets from being dissipated while investigations continue.”

Lackay said Sars was working with other law enforcement agencies, such as the Hawks, in investigating the case.

“Our investigators are assisting other law agencies, like [the] Hawks, in investigating a number of financial transactions between certain individuals,” he said. “At this stage we don’t want to comment too much as investigations are continuing.”

Hit list
The Hawks said on Wednesday that a hit list found at Krejcir’s house included the names of slain underworld boss Cyril Beeka, security consultant Paul O’Sullivan and a state prosecutor.

“Cyril Beeka, who was allegedly at the top of the list, was gunned down in Cape Town a couple of days ago,” said Hawks spokesperson McIntosh Polela.

The Hawks raided Krejcir’s upmarket house in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, on Tuesday night.

Krejcir was not at home.

“The aim was to arrest a 42-year-old suspect who is wanted on charges of fraud and murder,” said Polela. “The suspect allegedly claimed R4,5-million from an insurance company after obtaining fraudulent medical documents showing that he had terminal cancer.”

The doctor, Marian Tupy, who issued the alleged fraudulent medical documents, recently made a deal with the state.

His name was also on the hit list, alongside that of O’Sullivan, a former British spy and former head of security for the Airports Company South Africa, and one of former police chief and now fraud convict Jackie Selebi’s main accusers.

The fourth person on the hit list was state prosecutor Riegel du Toit, who was involved in the investigation into the murder of German businessman Uwe Gemballa.

Gemballa was linked to former Teazers boss Lolly Jackson, who was killed last year.

Polela said two people were taken in for questioning, but the 42-year-old man was still at large.

“Two suspects were detained for questioning, one in the suspect’s house and another in a nearby house belonging to the suspect’s associate.

“The suspect is still at large. We believe it’s in his interest to hand himself over to the Hawks. We will not let up in our attempts to find him.”

Polela defended the Hawks, who first went to the wrong house during the raid and reportedly broke through the wrong gate.

“They mistook the gate for the suspect’s gate,” said Polela. “They went through that house [the wrong house] and over that wall. It provided easy access to the suspect’s house.”

Gunned down
Beeka was gunned down in Cape Town on Monday afternoon by two men on a motorcycle.

The Star reported that Beeka was Krejcir’s business partner, but that their relationship had recently soured.

Beeka had links with Jackson and reportedly spoke to the prime suspect in the Jackson killing, George Smith, on the night of the murder. Beeka also knew intelligence boss Moe Shaik, whom he accompanied to the 2007 African National Congress elective conference in Polokwane.

The Star also reported that the police were investigating a link between Beeka’s murder and that of another underworld figure, Yuri Ulianitski.

Czech authorities have long maintained that Krejcir was linked to organised crime syndicates.

Krejcir, said to be friends with Jackson and Smith, arrived in South Africa in April 2007.

The Witness reported earlier this month that he had intended to use the false cancer diagnosis to try to secure a presidential pardon from the Czech president, according to testimony in court by his doctor.

He has reportedly twice been convicted in absentia in the Czech Republic for fraud. — Sapa