Peet Viljoen bail hearing postponed as R27m fraud case continues

Peet Viljoen’s bail hearing was postponed in Pretoria on Wednesday, keeping the disbarred lawyer in custody as he faces more than 400 charges linked to an alleged R27.6 million property fraud scheme.

The 57-year-old appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, where the State opposed his release. Viljoen faces charges including fraud, theft, corruption, forgery and uttering.

According to the Hawks, the charges stem from the alleged unlawful sale of 46 Johannesburg Property Company properties in 2010 using forged documents. Authorities allege the sales caused losses of about R27.6 million. Viljoen was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in June after being deported from the United States.

During proceedings, Viljoen argued that he is not a flight risk and cited health concerns in support of his bail application. According to eNCA reporter Silindelo Sebata, he also told the court that he could have requested deportation to Mexico instead of South Africa, adding,

‘I will be suing the NPA for R500 million for an unlawful prosecution.’

Viljoen also addressed reports relating to an alleged shoplifting matter in the United States.

According to Sebata’s live court updates, he told the court that ‘he was not involved’ and alleged that the incident involved his wife, Mel Viljoen.

The US allegations are separate from the South African criminal proceedings currently before the court.

Outside court, attention also turned to a small group demonstrating in support of Viljoen. Sebata reported on X that a woman at the gathering claimed the demonstrators worked for Mel Viljoen, while declining to comment further. The claim has not been independently verified.

The latest court appearance follows the removal of a BackaBuddy campaign launched by Mel Viljoen and family friend Tammy van der Merwe to help fund Viljoen’s legal costs. As previously reported, the fundraiser had collected R3 620 from six donors before the platform closed it in line with its terms and conditions.

The bail application is set to resume on 23 July, when the court is expected to hear further arguments from both the defence and the State.