[miningmx.com] — ALLEGED company hijacker, diamond thief and kidnapper Dennis Van Kerrebroeck could face even more charges as details on how he allegedly tried to swindle his way out of custody have emerged in court.
Prior to Van Kerrebroeck’s bail application being postponed at the Randburg Regional Court on Friday to April 6, the court heard that the Canadian citizen allegedly paid an official R20,000 to make the case “go away’. He also apparently tried to offer investigators details about the criminal actions of a politician in exchange for impunity.
Van Kerrebroeck further maintained that he was the sole director of Ngwenda Gold, a position he was stripped off by the South Gauteng High Court in February.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Charlene Labuschagne said on Friday Van Kerrebroeck was only facing a charge of diamond theft for the time being, although other charges could be added pending ongoing investigations.
Van Kerrebroeck was arrested on February 27 in connection with the theft in 2009 of a diamond valued at around R25m, which later surfaced in New York.
A charge of fraud could follow after the high court found Van Kerrebroeck was not validly appointed as the director of Ngwenda Gold, on the back of an urgent application by the founding members and previous directorate by the company.
Ngwenda Gold director Bob Jansen said on Friday that he and the other legitimate directors would also lay charges against other government officials found to be complicit in the hijacking of their company, including a notary of the court and Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office employees.
Police were also investigating a case made by Ngwenda Gold founder Mashudu Nengwenda that Van Kerrebroeck orchestrated his kidnapping in October 2010, in an attempt to force Nengwenda to sign company sale and transfer documents.
Van Kerrebroeck, whose bail hearing started on Thursday, argued he would not be a flight risk as he has business interests in South Africa, including the directorship of Ngwenda Gold. He also claimed his arrest was unlawful, saying the diamond transaction took place in Switzerland where South Africa has no jurisdiction.
The state retaliated by providing details of Van Kerrebroeck’s illicit attempts to stave off prosecution.
The hearing would have continued on Friday, but Van Kerrebroeck’s defence requested more time to respond to the new allegations.
