‘Bail denied’: Peet Viljoen deemed a flight risk
Reality television personality Peet Viljoen has been denied bail by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court as he has been regarded as a flight risk.
Viljoen, a former lawyer, stands accused of fraud, forgery and corruption in relation to the alleged unlawful sale of properties belonging to the City of Johannesburg in 2010.
He was arrested in June after charges were reinstated against him.
Viljoen and his wife, Mel, who appeared in The Real Housewives of Pretoria show, had left for the US last year after becoming embroiled in legal disputes over a nail franchise.
Their posting of glamorous photographs there ended when the couple was arrested in March. They were accused of stealing groceries worth more than $5,300 (R86,370) from Publix Super Markets using a “ticket-switching” method, as reported on Carte Blanche. The scheme allegedly involved scanning low-cost items such as seasoning packets while bagging more expensive goods.
They professed their innocence. They did not stand trial on this case due to their deportation back to South Africa.