The Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday has postponed the case against Louis Liebenberg, his wife Dezzi, and seven co-accused to July 8 while Liebenberg on his own, is slated to apply for bail on February 25.
The trial on 42 charges, including fraud, theft, racketeering, and money laundering, is now scheduled to continue on July 8.
During this brief appearance, the man accused of running a Ponzi scheme argued for his release, indicating that he poses no flight risk and is committed to cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
In typical Liebenberg fashion, the serial entrepreneur enthusiastically greeted his wife with a kiss and then hugged her. After this, the couple sent a pack of letters to each other through a court official.
The couple arrived at the court together amid emotional exchanges of tenderness as Dezzi, after glancing at her husband, uttered the words,“ I love you”.
The State has also argued that Liebenberg and Dezzi have attempted to hide more than R200 million from the authorities following a video depicting Liebenberg boasting about his fortunes online.
Another allegation by the State is that Liebenberg allegedly operated a diamond syndicate that was involved in dealing with and luring unsuspecting investors to invest in unpolished diamonds through social media platforms.
As such, he has been accused of fleecing his investors of more than R4 billion since 2019.
This matter comes as the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, recently placed his estate under provisional sequestration after finding evidence that he owes his former company, Tariomix, R150 million, with most of his debt reportedly linked to casino gambling losses while his assets have shrunk.
Liebenberg and his wife were arrested at a Gauteng restaurant on the night of October 22 last year after a five-year probe.