By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Immanuela David, the man accused of being the mastermind behind the February 2020 theft at president Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm appeared before the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, seeking release on bail.
His bail application wrapped up at the Bela Bela Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The three suspects are facing several charges in connection with the theft of $580 000 (around R10.87 million) on February 9, 2020, at the president’s farmhouse.
The three accused are charged with housebreaking and the theft. David faces an additional charge of money laundering.
David is charged alongside siblings Froliana Joseph, who was a domestic worker at the Phala Phala farm and her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph.
During the bail application, investigating officer Ludi Schnell has been strongly opposed to David’s bid for freedom. The investigating officer gave oral evidence before magistrate Predeshni Ponnan.
Schnelle said David had given police officers three addresses in Cape Town, Rustenburg and Bela Bela but none could be verified.
He said an address David provided to the border post when he entered South Africa from Botswana earlier this year – turned out to be fake.
Schnelle said the fact that police cannot verify his address, means David is likely to evade his trial if released on bail.
“There is a very strong likelihood that the applicant if released will attempt to evade his trial, there is still uncertainty about how he departed from the Republic of South Africa to Namibia in June 2020 when he was arrested in that country.”
Magistrate Ponnan is expected to rule on Friday, regarding David’s bail application.
The theft came to light when former State Security Agency boss, Arthur Fraser, opened a case of kidnapping and money laundering against Ramaphosa, the head of the Presidential Protection Services Major-General Wally Rhoode, and Crime Intelligence.
The former spy boss claimed the suspects who broke into the president’s property were subsequently kidnapped, interrogated, and paid off to keep silent.