Timol ‘killer’ Rodrigues’ legal fees have cost taxpayer R3.5m so far

The family of Ahmed Timol called on the state attorney to refrain from covering the legal costs of his alleged murderer, Joao Rodrigues, after the department of justice and constitutional development revealed that Rodrigues’ legal fees had so far cost the taxpayer over R3 million.

The official response signed by a departmental state attorney, which The Citizen has seen, stated that the legal matters to date had cost the taxpayer R3,585,205.92 and that “the amount comprises legal fees of a private attorney, junior and senior legal counsel”.

It sits at this amount even before the criminal trial has begun.

The response also went on to say “the amount cannot be broken down as to who was paid what as that might encroach on private individuals, but it only suffices that is in the public interest to disclose costs incurred by the state attorneys”.

Not thrilled by this response was Ahmed Cajee, a relative of Timol, who said: “While Rodrigues is entitled to a criminal legal defence paid by the state, his continued efforts to delay his trial and seek a permanent stay of prosecution constitutes an abuse of the court process and is manifestly not in the public interest.

“The criminal trial judge, Judge Ramarumo Monama, [has] been particularly scathing about the accused’s legal fees, which includes two senior advocates, advocate Jaap Cilliers SC, and advocate Fanus Coetzee and his attorney, which come from state coffers.”

Cajee said yet another postponement was likely to happen again as Rodrigues was expected to appear at the High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge, Germiston, today after being denied a permanent stay of prosecution at the High Court in Johannesburg on September 18.

Rodrigues has taken the matter up to the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

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