Ex-cop held for fraud, forgery

2008-01-01 11:27

Cape Town - Private detective and former senior policeman Niel van Heerden was released on R2 000 bail on Monday after being arrested on charges of fraud and forgery, Western Cape police said.

Van Heerden's firm was involved in the City of Cape Town's "spy" drama earlier this year, and in a probe into the murder of Stellenbosch student Inge Lotz.

Superintendent Billy Jones said detectives arrested Van Heerden, 55, at his home on a Mossel Bay golf estate shortly after noon on Monday.

He appeared briefly in the town's magistrate's court on Monday afternoon, and was released on R2 000 bail.

"Mr Van Heerden appeared on charges of fraud, forgery and the contravention of the Commissioner of Oath(s) Act for allegedly making a false statement under oath," Jones said in a statement.

"Detectives also executed a search warrant at his premises and seized one desktop and two laptop computers."

The case was postponed to January 8.

Van Heerden, a former SAPS area commissioner in the Western Cape, now owns the Mossel Bay franchise of George Fivaz and Associates, a firm of private investigators.

An employee of Van Heerden's, Phillip du Toit, carried out the City of Cape Town's controversial secret probe this year into the activities of renegade councillor Badhi Chaaban.

Du Toit was then himself arrested in connection with a truck hijacking.

Van Heerden was also involved in the high profile case of the murder of Stellenbosch student Inge Lotz. Lotz' parents hired him to investigate the 2005 killing.

Following the acquittal last month of Lotz' boyfriend Fred van der Vyver, Van Heerden laid charges of defeating the ends of justice against two key police investigators in the case.

He accused them of withholding pertinent information from the court.

He also laid a charge of perjury against another person whom he claimed lied while giving evidence.

Their actions could have led to a life sentence for Van der Vyver, an innocent man, he said.

- SAPA