Before Nelson Mandela Bay businessman, Arnold Terblanche allegedly teamed up with his estranged wife, Vicki’s boyfriend, Reinhardt Leach, to have her killed, Vicki and Leach had allegedly planned on murdering Terblanche.
This is only one of the shocking pieces of information that was laid out by the statement of the investigating officer, Col. Rhynhardt Swanepoel in the Gqeberha Magistrates Court yesterday as part of Terblanche’s third bid for bail.
Terblanche was granted another opportunity to apply for bail after his appeal against his last bail refusal based on new facts, succeeded in the Gqeberha High Court.
In his affidavit, Swanepoel said that the investigation had gone a lot further since the initial bail application and that the state has gathered evidence that Leach, together with the deceased, had allegedly planned and conspired to kill the applicant (Terblanche).
“Leach actively searched and enquired to find a ‘hitman’ to kill the applicant, without any success. The motive for the planned killing of the applicant was to get half of his wealth,” the statement read.
The statement continued that before Leach and Terblanche’s alleged meeting on October 12 last year, it became known that if Terblanche were to be killed, Vicki would not inherit half of his wealth. This is when the planned changed, according to Swanepoel and Leach sided with Terblanche instead.
ICYMI | Vicki Terblanche murder: Arnold faces additional charges for allegedly trying to murder co-accused
The statement claims that Leach and Terblanche had their first telephonic conversation on the morning of October 12 where Leach allegedly informed Terblanche that Vicki planned to have him killed and that she was using a lot of drugs. The statement said that evidence has been gathered to confirm this alleged drug use.
The statement also elaborated on the additional charges that Terblanche now faces after it came to light that he had allegedly conspired to have Leach and another co-accused, Dylan Cullis, killed.
The charges are one conspiracy to commit murder and six counts of conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice.
According to the statement, Terblanche was in cahoots with someone only known as “Mr A,” who was allegedly introduced to him by a senior member or the Department of Correctional Services as a colonel in the police. It is claimed that Terblanche paid more than R500 000 to “Mr A” 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 Leach and Cullis killed. “Mr A” did not attempt any of these things.
According to the statement, Terblanche also paid “Mr A” 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 Swanepoel as investigating officer, which he did not do. What “Mr A” allegedly did do was have a confiscated cell phone returned to Terblanche in prison, have Leach transferred to North End prison because he was “extorting” money from Terblanche and arranged contact visits with Terblanche’s girlfriend, Krystal Wiggill and two minor children.
“The applicant has to date paid R552 000 to ‘Mr A.’ Initially the applicant handed an Atos motor vehicle over to ‘Mr A,’” the statement read.
The matter continues in the Gqeberha Magistrates Court and has been postponed to Friday, October 14 for the defense to reply to the statement.
