Judgment in the bail application of the corruption-accused leader of one of the factions of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Mike Sandlana, will be handed down next Monday. Sandlana is accused of bribing high court judge Portia Phahlane to deliver a favourable judgment in a succession dispute involving three men in the wealthy church. The state opposed his release on bail and, as the proceedings continued on Monday, presented a supplementary affidavit by the investigating officer, Ludi Rolf Schnelle, containing new facts.
The state accused Sandlana of securing the biased support of an alleged doctor who is also a loyal church follower to exaggerate and overstate his medical condition to get sympathy from the court. This came after the state discovered that Sandlana had attempted to make an urgent application to the Pretoria high court on December 1 to be released from custody due to medical reasons, despite his initial pending scheduled bail application in the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court on December 3. Sandlana and his spokesperson, Vusi Ndala, were arrested in November together with judge Phahlane, who presided over the controversial legal battle for control of the church.
Phahlane’s son, Kagiso, was also arrested and was granted bail together with his mother and Ndala. On Monday, the state submitted a supplementary affidavit by Schnelle, shedding light on evidence and circumstances as they oppose his release on bail. Schnelle said Sandlana had secured the biased support of an alleged family doctor, Aluwani Sabata, who is also a loyal church follower, to exaggerate and overstate his medical condition to get sympathy from the court.
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This after he had allegedly suffered an alleged asthma attack while in prison. The state told the court no historical data had been presented by Sebata to prove a pattern or long-term illness. “It’s a clear sign of desperation by the applicant to get Sebata to provide a list of illnesses that are not life-threatening. The further desperation is evident in that the applicant attempted through his co-accused attorney Ramothwala to lodge a deceitful and misleading urgent motion application in the high court to be released on bail,” said the state.
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