North West businessman and alleged police spy Brown Mogotsi has been denied bail again.
Mogotsi appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, September 22, where the court dismissed his latest bail application.
The presiding magistrate Anelisa Thlapi found that Mogotsi had failed to present new facts that justified overturning the court’s previous decision to deny him bail.
The court also raised concerns about the different residential addresses provided by Mogotsi, finding that the addresses did not constitute new facts because one of them had been available to him during his initial bail application.
“The court found that the applicant cannot be trusted, and he failed from the beginning to be a trustworthy applicant who can provide a reliable and provable residential address,” the magistrate said.
The court also rejected Mogotsi’s claim that the investigating officer had a personal vendetta against him and routinely made false allegations.
The magistrate further dismissed Mogotsi’s analysis of similarities in the handwriting on various statements, saying he was not an expert and that the court could not accept his interpretation.
The court also considered whether Mogotsi was a flight risk and whether he would evade trial or be difficult to trace.
“Based on the evidence and the information presented to the court, including the applicant’s new facts, it does not change my opinion that he is a flight risk,” the magistrate said.
The court concluded that Mogotsi was attempting to remedy shortcomings in his previous bail application by providing different residential addresses.
“I am of the view that the applicant is attempting to remedy the shortcomings of his previous bail application due to his inconsistent addresses,” the magistrate said.
The court ruled that releasing Mogotsi on bail would not be in the interests of justice.
Her previous bail decision therefore stands, and he was remanded in police custody until October 1, when he is expected to return to court for the arrangement of a trial date.
