Steinhoff corruption saga-accused Andries Benjamin le Grange was granted bail of R150,000 after appearing at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court following his arrest on Wednesday morning.
Le Grange, 49, is a former chief financial officer at Steinhoff.
Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale said Le Grange made his first court appearance on Wednesday morning. This was following his arrest by serious economic offences unit of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) (Hawks).
Racketeering, fraud and corruption charges
Le Grange is charged with two counts of racketeering in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. He also faces five counts of fraud, one count of corruption and three counts of contravention of the Financial Markets Act. This is in relation to the Steinhoff investigation. The corruption charge is in terms of the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act.
Mogale said Le Grange appeared alongside his co-accused, Stepfanus Johannes Grobler. He is a former head of Treasury and former director of Steinhoff.
She said Grobler, 64, was arrested on March 22 and appeared in court on March 25. He was granted a R150,000 bail.
“Today, he [Grobler] appeared again for a postponement and review of his bail conditions. Le Grange was also granted R150,000 bail with conditions. Both will appear again in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court on October 4 2024,” said Mogale.
In March, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana confirmed the matter. She said the Specialised Commercial Crime Court granted Grobler a R150,000 bail.
Racketeering and fraud worth R21bn
Grobler is facing charges of racketeering and three counts of fraud worth R21-billion. He is also charged with manipulation of financial statements and failure to report fraudulent activities.
Magistrate Nicca Setshogoe granted Grobler bail with conditions. He is required to report to the Brooklyn police station twice a week — on Monday and Friday. Grobler should also hand over his two passports to the investigating officer. He is not allowed to apply for a new one, and should hand over his two firearms to the police. Another bail condition is that he is not allowed to leave Gauteng province without informing the investigation officer. And he must not interfere with state witnesses.
At the time, Mahanjana said Steinhoff was a multinational holding company. The company is listed in Germany and South Africa and was officially liquidated on October 13, 2023.
Deceased Markus Jooste implicated
“Its holdings were in the retail sector, primarily in furniture and household goods. It included a 43,8% stake in the South Africa Pepkor group. It is alleged that between 2014 and 2016, the then CEO, Markus Johannes Jooste, (now deceased), and Grobler conducted racketeering activities within the Steinhoff group. This as it was captured by certain executive employees.
“During that period, it is alleged that Jooste played a major role in the management of the criminal enterprise. It is further alleged that Grobler created documentation of transactions that supported the fraudulent transactions. These were used to inflate and falsify the annual financial statement of the Steinhoff Group,” said Mahanjana at the time.
