The High Court has moved itself to review a controversial bail granted to South African fugitive, Willie Steenkamp who arrived in the country as an investor using the name Dr. William Bilderberg.
Bilderberg and his partner Jacobus Johannes Christoffel Du Toit, who is currently on the run, are wanted in South Africa for defrauding potential investors through an investment company.
He was arrested in 2022 after the Malawi Police Fiscal and Fraud Department conducted an operation jointly with the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), Interpol, and Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services following an Interpol alert.
After being denied bail four times, he was granted bail on January 24 2024 by the principal resident magistrate Godfrey Balaka.
On the fourth attempt, chief resident magistrate Chisomo Msokera described it as resembling “match-fixing” in the way the State and defense handled the bail application.
High Court judge Anneline Kanthambi informed the State and Defense during the bail ruling review in Blantyre yesterday that the court took the initiative for the action.
Defense lawyer Shepher Mumba asked for 21 days to prepare for the review saying they were caught unawares with the action and had not time to prepare.
Justice Kanthambi adjourned the matter to February 27 this month to proceed with the review.
In earlier attempts, Msokera rejected the application while condemning the State and Steenkamp’s lawyers for trying to undermine justice, before recusing himself from the case.
“We must emphasize that public confidence in the authority of the court is undermined where the court is made to rubberstamp illogical decisions that do not reconcile with the law and the facts.
“This is why we refuse to take part in such an exercise. We refuse to be a referee that is blind to the interests of justice.
“We cannot help but marvel at how both the applicant and the State have reasoned and concluded that the applicant (Bilderberg) has ceased to be a flight risk.
“Before we conclude, we must express our concern with the way this application has been handled by the bar. We do not think the bar is incompetent.
“We think that the bar is deliberately putting the interests of the applicant ahead of the interests of justice. This is contrary to the counsel’s duty to the court. And it is more worrying when the prosecution decides to participate in such approach to the administration of justice,” reads part of the ruling.
Upon arriving in the country with $20 million (about K23.6 billion) as an investor last year, Bilderberg was granted citizenship and a passport number MWA097282 was given to him on September 27, 2022.
A sworn statement by his lawyer Felix Tambulasi shows that Bilderberg (Steenkamp) was welcomed into the country in October last year by government officials through the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to invest in country as a Malawian.
It means Bilderberg (Steenkamp) was granted the citizenship and a local passport before he arrived in the country.
The sworn statement further said government later helped him establish his business, Bilderbert Company and later secure finances for the fugitive to start operating in Malawi.
Comments
2 responses to “High Court reviews controversial bail of SA fugitive”
Again the wording around these articles is appalling; Mike Bolhuis (SSS) should absolutely not be quoted and also be held accountable to his approach to this as he has known for a Fact Willem Steenkamps whereabouts from 2020/21 and before in Malawi.
A flight risk or flight ban means absolutely nothing to this Criminal given the global access that technology offers individuals with access to broadband or the internet – he should be barred from making any calls outside Malawi and only to specific individuals and barred from any business dealings until this case is concluded.
Does anyone have a point of contact for the Interpol or lead investigator for the State on this?
– has GPS tracking been put on his current phone and placed on him to control his movements?
The FIA are completely incompetent having been given undisputable evidence of Steenkamps/Bilderberg’s acts of fraud. There are open UK Action Fraud amd NFIB (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau) since 2021 (reference numbers can be provided and have been provided to the FIA). The FIA are an utter embarrassment; Officers John Minofu ([email protected]) Peter Msokera ([email protected]) & Bryson Chataika ([email protected]) should be disciplined for being a complete failure at their jobs with the FIA.
Steenkamp entered the county with South African passport M00087199 pre 2019 if which there is undeniable evidence and is no doubt still conducting operations from Home Up Apartments Plot BC 575 South End, Blantyre, Malawi.
– The government did not help Steenkamp establish the Bilderberg company, this company was previously called Maxilion Investments and legal consultant Patience Favour Maliwa assisted with this name change and dealings with. Company number TMBRS 1012480 should not be that hard to find Company MAXILION MDEKA 001 LIMITED change of name to BILDERBERG LIMITED registered address none other than PLOT NUMBER BC 757 SOUTH END , PO BOX 159, BLANTYRE
– Lawyer Felix Tambulasi should be disbarred, held to account for Perjury and perverting the court of justice and should face very serious jail time for these acts and collaboration with Fraud. His withheld funds should go back to the victims of the Fraud which are resident in UAE, Austria, Australia, UK and India; These behaviours, lack of simple investigative facts, by journalists, FIA, authorities, and the State are unbearable.
How is it that Hafa Voice (not Malawian or South African) has reported more and has more information on this case than the Authorities? And why is the information and evidence that has been presented to the FIA not being used in this case?
@Chancy_Namadzunda – my contact in the UK is happy to provide you with all the evidence that has been submitted to FIA and Authorities with regards to this case so that you can further enhance your story and the facts surrounding it.
Hafa Voice
“The High Court has moved itself to review a controversial bail granted to South African fugitive, Willie Steenkamp who arrived in the country as an investor using the name Dr. William Bilderberg.”
False – he did not arrive in the Country under the name Dr. William Bilderberg – he entered the country in hiding under the passport Mr Willem Steenkamp Pass No. M00087199 DOB 04/09/1973 in 2019.
Bilderberg and his partner Jacobus Johannes Christoffel Du Toit, who is currently on the run, are wanted in South Africa for defrauding potential investors through an investment company.
And details of the Bond value c. €600m was generated by Echo Arys GmbH.
Steenkamps Mother; Franscina Louisa Steenkamp and Aunt Sonja Henriette Steenkamp residing in South Africa also received funds.
“The sworn statement further said government later helped him establish his business, Bilderberg Company and later secure finances for the fugitive to start operating in Malawi.”
– ?- The government help everyone establish business simply through process, Felix Tambulasi should be jailed for perjury of his statements and clearly has a lack of real knowledge of his client besides accepting c$2.0m in payments to make false statements and representations.
Hafa Voice