Disbarred lawyer and alleged shoplifter Peet Viljoen is in Hawks custody after being arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday night, moments after he was deported from the United States.
The arrest, confirmed by Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, relates to allegations that several properties owned by the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) were unlawfully sold in May 2010 to “unsuspecting bona fide purchasers”.
“Despite the properties being transferred and sold, the Johannesburg Property Company reportedly did not receive payment for the transactions, resulting in substantial financial prejudice,” Mogale said.
Viljoen is expected to appear in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Thursday. He faces charges of fraud, theft, forgery, uttering, and contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.
Details of the alleged property transactions and the circumstances surrounding Viljoen’s deportation from the US have not yet been disclosed, and the Hawks have indicated the matter remains under investigation.
This is a developing story.
