State prosecutor in the Arnold Terblanche bail application, adv. Marius Stander, has said that it is not necessary for the police to “lick someone’s ar*e.”
This comes after Terblanche failed to make a statement to police after he was allegedly swindled out of money by Phindile Zweni, chairperson of the South African Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners (SASAPO).
Express previously reported that Terblanche paid more than R500 000 to Zweni. He claimed that some amounts were loans while others were to help with the “investigation” that Zweni was “conducting” to clear Terblanche’s name and “expose corruption in the SAPS and Correctional Services.”
The state, however, alleges that the money was paid to Zweni to bribe a Department of Justice official to get bail, appoint two judges of Terblanche’s liking to hear his appeal against the refusal of his bail based on new facts and to have his co-accused, Reinhardt Leach and Dylan Cullis killed, among other things. Zweni did not attempt any of these things.
The state also alleges that Terblanche paid Zweni to convince Cullis to retract his statement to say that the applicant was not involved in his wife’s murder and to attempt to remove Col. Rhynhardt Swanepoel as investigating officer, which he did not do.
Terblanche allegedly only filed a complaint with Correctional Services against Zweni but did not give his statement to police or lay a charge with the police.
During the continuation of his bail application in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court today, November 17, Stander said that it is not necessary for the police to “lick someone’s ar*e” to provide a statement.
“I am saying this with the utmost respect but there is already enough crime in South Africa for the police to deal with. He didn’t want to [provide a statement] so Swanepoel went to Zweni who gave him a different version of events,” Stander said.
“The applicant thinks that he can just snap his fingers and everyone around him has to jump,” he added.
Stander also referred to transcripts of the WhatsApp conversations between Zweni and Terblanche’s girlfriend, Krystal Wiggill, who have both turned state witnesses in the meantime and said that Terblanche is in possession of the whole conversation between the two state witnesses.
He continued to say that Terblanche himself admitted this in his affidavit but only furnished one part of the conversation. “Where is the rest? Why did he take out a part in the middle and not show the court all parts?
“Swanepoel said that communication between Terblanche and Zweni also took place on WhatsApp and that the bribery was discussed. Swanepoel exported the chats and he says that it’s there. The applicant has all the chats. Why only bring one page? Why not bring all the chats and show the court that Swanepoel is wrong? Or is he scared that the court will see what is on the next page?”
Stander ended his argument by submitting to the court that Terblanche will interfere with witnesses and that documents prove the state has a strong case.
The matter was postponed to Friday, November 25 for the defense to reply.
Terblanche, Leach and Cullis face several charges after the body of Terblanche’s estranged wife, Vicki, was found in a shallow grave in Greenbushes a little more than a year ago.
