The state in the Vicki Terblanche murder case has asked the presiding magistrate, Kriban Pillay, to recuse himself from the case.
State prosecutor, adv, Marius Stander, said that the state has requested this based on allegations against Terblanche that he had paid money to a “Mr A” to bribe a Department of Justice official and two judges in order to be granted bail.
“Mr A,” who has in the meantime been identified by Terblanche as Phindile Zweni, chairperson of the South African Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners Organisation (SASAPO), at no stage attempted to bribe the official or the judges and the preferential judges were never appointed to hear Terblanche’s appeal against his bail refusal.
The state indicated that the magistrate in this matter has become a subject matter of the case and has thus been asked to recuse himself.
In his responding affidavit read into the record last week, Terblanche denied any allegations of bribing a Department of Justice official and judges.
According to Terblanche, Zweni is a fraudster as he had allegedly, on many occasions, swindled money out of Terblanche under the pretense of helping to exonerate him.
Terblanche and his co-accused, Reinhardt Leach and Dylan Cullis, are accused of conspiring to and murdering his estranged wife, Vicki Terblanche. Her body was found in a shallow grave in Greenbushes this time last year.
The matter has been postponed to Friday, October 28 for Pillay to make his judgement.
