Two managers linked to the Steinhoff accounting fraud case were granted R150,000 bail each by the Pretoria Commercial Specialised Crimes Court on Friday.
The two appeared a few hours after the case against former Steinhoff executive director Stephanus Grobler was postponed to May, Grobler is facing charges of racketeering and fraud.
The two men, Iwan Peter Schelbert and Hein Odendaal, handed themselves over to the police on Friday morning and appeared in court later.
Schelbert worked in the financial management division at Steinhoff and Odendaal was the divisional manager for group services.
State prosecutor advocate Dries van Rensburg told the court the state had been investigating Schelbert and Odendaal for a long time and did not intend to make them state witnesses.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) did not oppose bail.
Van Rensburg said the state did not believe Schelbert and Odendaal were flight risks as they had been co-operating with the investigating officer during the investigation.
He said the state had a strong case against the accused in the Steinhoff matter. Both accused said they would defend themselves against the charges levelled against them.
The court granted bail to the accused on condition they do not travel outside the province or SA without informing the investigating officer.
The court also ordered them to hand over their passports and to report to their nearest police station once a week.
The case was postponed to May 30 for the state to finalise the indictment and to obtain a trial date at the Pretoria high court.
Earlier on the day, the state asked for more time in the Grobler’s case, he is also accused of being part of the accounting scandal that led to the downfall of Steinhoff.
Van Rensburg said the NPA had received an audit report into Steinhoff last December and needed time to study the report and finalise the charge sheet. The case was also postponed to May 30 and Grobler’s bail was extended.
The key findings of the audit report include that a group of Steinhoff former executives and other non-Steinhoff executives implemented various transactions that resulted in inflating the profit and asset values of the Steinhoff Group over an extended period.
Grobler was arrested last May after the police secured warrants of arrest for him and former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste, who committed suicide before he was arrested.
Last October, the SA Reserve Bank seized millions belonging to Grobler.
Business Day previously reported that the Reserve Bank seized R871,000 held in Momentum Wealth and R66m loan accounts declared by Grobler.
Last year, former Steinhoff CFO Ben la Grange reached a plea agreement with the state and was this month sentenced to 10 years in prison, five of which were suspended.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.