Disbarred attorney and reality TV personality Peet Viljoen will remain behind bars after the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court denied his bail application on Monday.

The court deemed him a flight risk, according to eNCA.

Viljoen faces more than 400 charges of fraud, theft, and corruption, linked to an alleged R27.6 million property fraud scheme involving the Johannesburg Property Company, dating back to 2010.

Viljoen was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in June, immediately after being deported from the United States, where he had spent roughly 100 days in detention over an alleged shoplifting incident in Florida.

He has been held at Kgosi Mampuru Prison ever since.

Viljoen’s lawyer, Andre Steenkamp, proposed R250,000 bail and offered house arrest at his sister’s home in Olympus, Pretoria, with daily police reporting. He argued Viljoen had returned to South Africa voluntarily, proving he was not a flight risk.

The court was not convinced.

Prosecutors opposed bail aggressively, submitting nearly 480 pages of evidence, including affidavits from co-accused who have already pleaded guilty.

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