Robert McClelland allegedly paid a deputy sheriff of the court to retrieve evidence seized from him.
|||Durban - Corruption accused Robert McClelland’s plan to buy back evidence - seized from him, as per a high court order - started the same day the order was executed, the KwaDukuza Regional Court heard on Thursday.
The deputy sheriff of Stanger at the time, Oshwin Maharaj, came to McClelland’s home in Ballito that evening, June 10, 2009, to socialise, and Nelson Pereira, who has since turned State witness, heard McClelland ask Maharaj: “How much for the box (of evidence)?” Pereira said.
McClelland and Maharaj then allegedly spoke in private.
Pereira was working at McClelland’s company South African Recycling Equipment at the time.
McClelland, Maharaj and Morkel are standing trial on charges of corruption and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.
The witness told the court that after June 10, 2009 it was “business as usual” and he did not discuss the matter with McClelland until August 2010.
It was then that McClelland started sending Pereira text messages, asking if he would accompany him to collect the boxes from Maharaj.
Pereira refused.
“Eventually, in the last message, he was very domineering and told me I must do it or I wouldn’t enjoy a position or the shares I was promised in South African Recycling Equipment,” the witness said.
He “weakly” accepted and, on the morning of August 27, the plan was executed.
The night before, McClelland had given Pereira R50 000 to give to Maharaj.
The witness photographed the money, to “safeguard” himself.
The next day, after the boxes were handed over, the money changed hands, he said.
Pereira drove to Shepstone and Wylie Attorneys in Richards Bay and gave the evidence to Morkel.
While at Morkel’s offices, Pereira photographed the boxes.
The State showed Pereira a number of photographs and asked him if those were the photographs, of the money and of the boxes, that he had taken. He said they were.
The Mercury