Lolly Jackson’s lawyer, Ian Jordaan, sent a fax to Radovan Krejcir’s attorney rejecting a claim on Jackson’s estate hours before Jordaan was kidnapped and murdered, affidavits tabled in the South Gauteng High Court claim. The affidavits, filed by private forensic investigator Kim Marriott last week in response to claims on Jackson’s deceased estate, turn a spotlight on the opaque financial relationship between strip-club boss Jackson, murdered in May 2010, and Krejcir, a fugitive from Czech justice. The documents again raise the allegation that the two men were involved in a joint money-laundering operation and that Jackson’s alleged acknowledgement of debt to Krejcir was forged. Despite the impending extradition of Jackson’s alleged killer, George Louca, from Cyprus, rumours about his murder continue to swirl in the criminal underworld. Jordaan’s charred body was discovered on September 21 last year after he was kidnapped and allegedly forced to transfer R1.8-million from his company’s trust account into a Nedbank account. ‘Cover-up’ Correspondence and affidavits filed in court by Marriott and Jackson’s widow, Demi Jackson, allege that the Teazer’s boss used forged documentation to “cover up” questionable financial transactions and his alleged involvement, together with Krejcir, in money-laundering. The affidavits were submitted in response to a provisional sentence application filed on behalf of Krejcir’s mother, Nadezda Krejcirova, and a Czech Republic-registered company, DKR Invest Praha SPOLSRO, which are individually seeking the repayment of loans to Jackson. In her affidavit, Marriott claims that Krejcir is for all intents and purposes “the person who is truly attempting to enforce the alleged claims”. Krejcirova’s claim totals €370 836 (R3.9-million), whereas DKR is demanding $1-million (R8.4-million) from Jackson’s estate. Arguing for immediate payments from the estate, Krejcirova and DKR refer to acknowledgements of debt they claim Jackson signed on April 28 2010, five days before he was shot dead. In these he allegedly acknowledged the amounts owed and undertook to repay “the capital sum on or before February 28 2012”. ‘Fictitious’ claims In her affidavit, Demi Jackson denies the legitimacy of both claims, whereas Marriott argues that the acknowledgements of debt relied on by the plaintiffs are “fictitious”, as Krejcir had used other acknowledgements of debt in previous claims against Jackson’s estate. Said Marriot: “There have been at least three attempts to claim amounts allegedly owed by Jackson’s estate to Krejcir. However, it is clear that Krejcir did not consider the possibility that all of the various documents in relation to such claims would eventually land on my desk.” She continued: “During the subsistence of the relationship between Krejcir and Jackson during the last two to three years of Jackson’s life, both Jackson and Krejcir were engaged in various transactions … conducted in furtherance of an overall scheme to launder money. “I … believe that the [acknowledgements] were created as part of a sham transaction to be utilised in the event that the South African Reserve Bank became apprised of the cash dealings between Krejcir and Jackson. “This is consistent with the modus operandi of both Krejcir and Jackson. I further believe that upon the murder of Jackson, Krejcir saw an opportunity to utilise the fictitious [acknowledgements] in order to obtain a pecuniary advantage in a claim against Jackson’s estate by virtue of the fact that Jackson would not be alive to verify that the [acknowledgements] were fictitious.” Jordaan was abducted and killed after a third claim against Jackson’s estate was lodged in June last year by Krejcir’s attorney, Karla Strydom. A second claim was made by Krejcir and his business manager, Bulgarian national Ivan Savov, in November 2010. Emails sent by Jordaan and Jackson’s bank manager Mike Hatton-Jones between November 24 2010 and January last year relate to the alleged intimidation of Demi Jackson by Krejcir and Savov, who appear to have become desperate to reclaim the money. In reply to an email to Savov in November 2010 about the “pressure” on Demi for payment, Savov said: “I was tasked to try and sort out repayment of these loans … Radovan is being patient, but Lolly signed an agreement with Radovan and has also verbally agreed to sort out repayment by end of July 2010.” Jordaan wrote back: “Without any answers to the questions asked, our clients are not in a position to accept and admit your client’s claim. Based on the documentation and information presently at our client’s disposal, [I] can find no proof of the alleged loans as referred to in your clients claim.” Jordaan’s body was found on September 21 last year after he had been shot dead and his car set alight. * Got a tip-off for us about this story? Email [email protected] 
The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, supported by M&G Media and the Open Society Foundation for South Africa, produced this story. All views are ours. See our funding sources here: www.amabhungane.co.za/page/sponsors.