The case of Pretoria businessman, Lucas Legabe, has been moved to December 1.
This comes after the Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court granted Legabe a R50 000 bail on Monday.
He is accused of stealing cocaine worth more than R200 million from a Hawks facility in Port Shepstone.
The cocaine consignment was stolen in 2021.
Legabe was arrested in Pretoria last month and has distanced himself from the charges.
The state alleged Legabe was ordered by police officers to steal the drugs and was among those who orchestrated the crime.
Handing down the bail judgement, Magistrate Nonjabulo Moleele said the state had failed to convince the court that Legabe was a flight risk and that he would interfere with the investigation.
“Having considered all the relevant circumstances, I am satisfied that the applicant has discharged the onus resting upon him under Section 60(11)b of the Criminal Procedure Act. I am very satisfied that the interests of justice can adequately be protected through strict and impossible bail conditions. Viewed in isolation, none of the grounds relied upon by the respondent has been shown on the evidence before this court to render detention necessary,” said Moleele.
She added: “Accumulatively, they did not alter that conclusion. The seriousness of the charge, the scale of the alleged enterprise are real and I’m not discounting that, but they are offset by the absence of any evidence connecting the applicant to the physical disposal of the drugs,” adds Moleele.
Legabe’ snail conditions were that he must report to Brooklyn Police Station every Monday between 6am and 6pm.
The court further ordered him not to directly or indirectly harass, intimidate, influence or communicate with any state witnesses whose identities become known to him.
