State tells court monitoring Eric Wood would be difficult if passports returned
The State on Wednesday said that monitoring former director of Gupta-linked Regiments Capital Eric Wood’s movements would be extremely difficult if his two passports, one South African and one British, were to be returned.
Wood is one of the accused in the R93 million graft case related to the now-notorious 1,064 locomotives deal.
He’s approached the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court to relax his bail conditions.
Wood was arrested in May and granted bail of R250,000 subject to various conditions, including handing in his passports.
He now wants it back so he can travel to Europe later this month to visit family.
But the State is opposing his application.
In an affidavit opposing the application, investigating officer Denwill Coetzee said that Wood had two passports and that monitoring his movements would be extremely difficult if they were returned.
He also said that Wood had no family ties in South Africa and had suffered significant reputational damage and so would benefit from a “fresh start” somewhere else.
While most of Wood’s assets are in the country, Coetzee further pointed to the cases of the Guptas and Shepherd Bushiri, saying they had not thought twice when presented with the opportunity to evade their trials, even if it meant leaving their assets behind.
He’s also described the R250,000 bail Wood paid as “relatively small” compared to the assets he’s declared, highlighted the challenges involved with extraditing people from the UK specifically, and said the State had a strong case which meant it would be in Wood’s interests to try and escape standing trial.
-EWN
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