Convicted underworld boss Radovan Krejcir brought a fresh application before the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday, applying for, amongst other things, relocation to Johannesburg.
While the department would not confirm his current location, Krejcir is believed to be at Kokstad’s C-Max Prison – the country’s most secure prison – located in KwaZulu-Natal.
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Correctional Services spokesman, Logan Maistry, said the application was postponed indefinitely by the court to allow the department to file opposing affidavits.
“We are opposing all the relief sought,” said Maistry.
He said that amongst the relief Krejcir was seeking was that he be immediately transferred to Johannesburg’s Medium C Prison and that he remain there for the duration of his impending court matters.
Krejcir has also claimed the department was “impeding and interfering” with his rights to a fair trial, the right to be visited by his family, the right to legal representation and that the time he had for legal consultation was being unfairly restricted.
In May, his family released a tranche of correspondence setting out their numerous complaints about the prison conditions under which he was being kept.
Sent to the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services, Krejcir’s family said he was facing human rights violations and that he had to endure psychological torture by being deprived of family contact and being kept away from interacting from other prisoners. They also said there was vermin in his cell. The department denied all the allegations.
On 24 August 2015, Krejcir was convicted of attempted murder, kidnapping and dealing in drugs. He was sentenced to 35 years by the Johannesburg High Court.
He is also currently standing trial for the 2013 Bedfordview murder of Lebanese national, Sam Issa. The State claims the murder occurred due to a dispute over a R500,000 loan Issa made to Krejcir.
In an unrelated court action, the Czech Republic has started extradition proceedings against him to stand trial for at least four charges of fraud.
– African News Agency (ANA)
