Cape Town, South Africa — A Cape Town businessman accused of offering a R4 million bribe will remain in custody over Easter while a magistrate decides whether to release him on bail, court officials confirmed.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, appeared briefly before Magistrate Ronelle van Zyl this week. Prosecutors say he tried to pay the sum to sway an undisclosed commercial dispute already under investigation.
Investigators told the court that the money moved in several March transfers, prompting the bank’s anti-corruption unit to flag the transactions. Police later froze the man’s accounts and seized documents and devices from his Sea Point office.
Defence lawyers argued their client has no prior convictions and a fixed Cape Town address, but the state says the scale of the alleged scheme and the risk of flight require further checks. A ruling on bail is scheduled for 7 April.
Source: Google News v2
