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‘I paid Zuma R2.5 million for asylum’ – Radovan Krejcír

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Czech gangster Radovan Krejcír in the Palm Ridge Regional Court when Judge Colin Lamont found him guilty of  attempted murder and kidnapping Picture: Mary-Ann Palmer
Czech gangster Radovan Krejcír in the Palm Ridge Regional Court when Judge Colin Lamont found him guilty of attempted murder and kidnapping Picture: Mary-Ann Palmer

At his second meeting Zuma indicated that he had spoken to Malusi Gigaba to prepare asylum papers

Jailed mobster Radovan Krejcír allegedly travelled to Nkandla to meet former president Jacob Zuma and his son, Duduzane, and handed over R2.5 million in cash in exchange for asylum.

This startling claim is contained in a signed affidavit deposed by the Czech gangster in Leeuwkop Prison in July.

The contents of the affidavit are now under investigation by the SA Police Service, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) and the Judicial Conduct Committee.

While independently verifying the contents of the affidavit in which Krejcír states that he recorded the 2011 meeting, City Press learnt from two senior sources within the Hawks that the recording exists and is with Crime Intelligence.

Krejcír’s affidavit forms part of a complaint before the Judicial Conduct Committee against Judge Colin Lamont who found him guilty of attempted murder and kidnapping.

Krejcír accuses Lamont of being biased against him and his co-accused and finding them guilty in a case in which he claims police officers fabricated the evidence.

In the 17-page affidavit City Press obtained, Krejcír states that after asking his late “friend”, underworld player Cyril Beeka, to help him get asylum, he was introduced to Duduzane.

At the time Krejcír was wanted by the Czech government for fraud and the attempted murder of a government official.

“At some point Duduzane Zuma promised to assist me with obtaining my asylum papers ... from the home affairs department. During the same year I drove to Nkandla to meet Duduzane’s father, [then] president Jacob Zuma,” Krejcír alleges in the affidavit.

“I made an agreement with Duduzane Zuma that I should pay R5 million. When I drove to Nkandla around February 2011, I had R2.5 million on me in cash. I handed the cash to Duduzane as the deposit.

“The second time, in September 2012, I went to Nkandla, I had a meeting with ... Jacob Zuma, who indicated that he had already given instruction to Malusi Gigaba, who was then minister of home affairs, to prepare papers for me.”

Speaking for Gigaba, Vuyo Mkhize, of Kapital Mindz, a public relations firm, said: “It is worth noting that Krejcír is not alleging that president Zuma actually instructed Malusi Gigaba to prepare his asylum papers, only that former president Zuma informed him that he had done so – an allegation Gigaba finds very hard to believe. That said, Gigaba would like to place it on record that he never received any such instruction, either from former president Zuma or from anyone else.”

Krejcír states in his affidavit that Beeka introduced him to Duduzane in 2010. Curiously, he claims that Beeka asked him to keep Duduzane “away from the Guptas”.

“I bought him a bike worth R230 000 and we were racing in Kyalami every week to keep him away from Sahara [Gupta company] people,” he claims.

City Press learnt last week that Moe Shaik, former SA Secret Service head and one-time staunch Zuma ally, was allegedly furious about the friendship between Duduzane Zuma and Krejcír and warned Jacob Zuma that it would affect his reputation because Krejcír was a wanted fugitive and there were extradition applications pending against him.

“[Jacob] Zuma told Shaik to meet Duduzane to warn him about the risks of associating himself with Krejcír,” said a source familiar with the investigation.

Shaik declined to comment saying he would reveal the details at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture should he be asked to do so.

Private investigator Chad Thomas, who has investigated several underworld cases, said he knew Beeka and Duduzane were allegedly friends.

Read: Krejcír man's payola claim 

“Beeka introduced Duduzane to Krejcír and Moe Shaik was very angry at Beeka’s actions. Shaik was angry that the son of the president was seen with the number one gangster,” he said.

Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan, who was instrumental in Krejcír’s arrest, said he also knew about Duduzane and Krejcír’s alleged friendship.

“We knew of payments and a bike but there was no proof of that. Now that [Krejcír] has said it, I believe him,” he said.

Jacob Zuma

After Beeka was murdered in a drive-by shooting in March 2011, Krejcír and Duduzane’s friendship fizzled out.

“Mr Duduzane started to keep a distance from me, someone was pushing him away from me, and my view is that those people were the Gupta family,” Krejcír claims.

“As the time went by my friendship with Duduzane Zuma deteriorated because Mr Beeka ... was no longer there to keep the momentum going. I made enquiries from Mr Duduzane Zuma pertaining to my issue of being issued with asylum papers by home affairs,” he said.

Krejcír then wanted his R2.5 million back and Duduzane “did not want to give back my money since he and his father failed to deliver on their part”.

He also claims it was his demand for a refund from the Zumas, as well as his refusal to be a “cash cow” for an allegedly corrupt police officer, that led to his eventual arrest and prosecution.

Ipid is investigating other claims in Krejcír's affidavit, including that Nkosana “Killer” Ximba, a controversial former police officer and current security chief for Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, had been extorting money from Krejcír’s friends and Krejcír told him in a meeting to “f*** off”.

The next time Krejcír saw Ximba was on November 22 2013 when he arrested him at his home.

Krejcír further alleges that Ximba tortured him during his arrest by placing a plastic bag over his head until he lost consciousness a number of times.

He claims he was repeatedly shocked by a police Taser.

In the affidavit, he claims to have medical certificates supporting his torture allegations and has opened a case of attempted murder.

This was confirmed during his trial in the Palm Ridge Regional Court.

He also names several police officers he accuses of manufacturing evidence against him, which Ipid is investigating.

“At some point Duduzane Zuma promised to assist me with obtaining my asylum papers ... from the home affairs department

Ximba did not respond to repeated requests for comment. He did not respond to calls and messages sent on Friday and Saturday on WhatsApp and Telegram, but the messages were read.

Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini said: “Our investigation is focusing on the role of the police but we’re also aware of other allegations that fall out of our mandate.”

Judicial Services Commission spokesperson Sello Chiloane confirmed that the Judicial Conduct Committee would consider the complaint against Judge Lamont, who has previously denied claims of bias, telling Krejcír in court in 2016: “Anyone convicted would be unhappy.”

Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said: “There was an initial investigation done by the SAPS’s Crime Intelligence and it was transferred to the Hawks for further processing. The Hawks inquiry could not proceed because some of the allegations involved Hawks members who were arrested and convicted with Krejcír. The docket has since been sent back to the SAPS for further investigations.”

Zuma’s spokesperson, Vukile Mathabela, did not respond to requests for comment on behalf of Zuma and Duduzane sent on email, text message and voice calls on Friday and Saturday.

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