Peet Viljoen to remain in custody as bail postponed to June 26

Disgraced lawyer Peet Viljoen will remain in custody for at least another week after the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court postponed his bail application to 26 June. According to The Citizen, Viljoen made a brief appearance in court following his arrest at OR Tambo International Airport earlier this week.

Brief court appearance after deportation

According to The Citizen, Viljoen returned to South Africa after being deported from the United States, where he and his wife, Mel Viljoen, were arrested on allegations of shoplifting. He appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday.

400 charges and state opposition to bail

The Citizen reports the accused faces a total of 400 charges. These charges include corruption, fraud, theft, perjury and forgery. The National Prosecuting Authority said it intends to oppose Viljoen’s release on bail.

“As the state, we intend to oppose this release on bail, as you might note that he’s facing a Schedule 5 offence,” The Citizen quoted NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana as saying.

Investigations and address verification

The Citizen reported that the state did not proceed with the bail application because key investigations were still underway, including confirming addresses supplied by Viljoen’s wife. The addresses are located outside Gauteng, which the state said required further verification before the bail hearing could go ahead.

“You must understand that he was arrested on the 16th of June, and today is the 18th. So, as the state, we do not have enough time to verify those addresses, especially because those addresses are outside Gauteng Province,” The Citizen quoted Mahanjana as saying.

Allegations linked to property transactions

The Citizen reported that Viljoen faces fraud-related charges linked to alleged unlawful property sales dating back to 2010. The Hawks confirmed investigators have been working on the matter for more than a decade. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Granville Meyer was quoted saying officers arrested Viljoen just after he landed in South Africa.

“Just after he landed, our members arrested him for this crime. And then he appeared in court. We’ve been investigating this matter for more than 10 years,” The Citizen quoted Meyer as saying.

Next court date

According to The Citizen, Viljoen is expected to return to the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 26 June, when the state is expected to formally oppose his application for bail.