Peet Viljoen to learn bail fate in R27.6m fraud case

Disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen will find out on Monday whether the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria will grant him bail in a case that includes 400 charges linked to an alleged R27.6 million Johannesburg Property Company fraud scheme. He remains in custody.

Background to the bail application

Viljoen last appeared in the court on 24 July, when he applied for bail. The court postponed its decision to allow time to consider further submissions, setting the latest hearing for Monday. According to IOL, the court previously heard legal arguments from both the defence and the prosecution regarding the bail application.

Defence position

Viljoen’s lawyer, Andre Steenkamp, told the court that Viljoen had voluntarily returned to South Africa despite knowing he would be arrested and argued this showed he was not a flight risk. The defence offered a bail package of R200,000, with R150,000 payable immediately and the remaining R50,000 to be drawn from an earlier release amount, the court was told.

Steenkamp also said Viljoen was prepared to remain under house arrest at his sister’s home in Olympus, Pretoria, and to report to police daily if ordered to do so. The defence said Viljoen and his wife had travelled to the United States legally and were legally residing there, and that their lawyers were dealing with a visa extension application when they were arrested on allegations of shop theft.

“He returned, yet he knew he would be arrested. This is not a man who is a flight risk. It’s true that a US court deported him, but he begged for it. He was deported as he asked for it,”

Prosecution arguments

The prosecution is opposing bail and argues Viljoen is a flight risk and that release would not be in the interests of justice. Prosecutor Van Zyl told the court Viljoen had publicly said on social media that he would never return to South Africa and raised concerns about Viljoen’s conduct since leaving the country.

“How he got back is a drama on its own. We can never forget he was sent back. Common sense tells us his release is not in the interests of justice,”

Arrest and charges

Viljoen was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after being deported from the United States on 16 June. He faces charges including fraud, theft, corruption, forgery and uttering, linked to the alleged R27.6 million Johannesburg Property Company property fraud scheme.

What’s next

The court will deliver its decision on Viljoen’s bail application on Monday. IOL previously reported that further documentation from the prosecution was required before the magistrate could deliver judgment.

According to IOL, the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court heard legal arguments from both the defence and the prosecution regarding Viljoen’s bail application.

Reporting: IOL