South Africa to deport Czech fugitive

South Africa will deport Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir who is in police custody for suspected involvement in a series of crimes, Police Minister Nathi Mathethwa said here on Monday. Police are in the process of working with the Department of Home Affairs to deport Krejcir who was arrested by police in Johannesburg on Friday, Mathethwa told a breakfast briefing hosted by the New Age newspaper. Before the deportation, the South African government would first make sure that Krejcir be accountable for his alleged atrocities which include kidnapping, assault and attempted murder. The Czech fugitive was believed to be behind the Nov. 12 bomb blast in Johannesburg, in which two of Krejcir's close associates were killed and five others wounded. Police have been investigating Krejcir's possible role in the blast, which took place in Krejcir's shop in Bedfordview, east Johannesburg. The motive of the blast remains unknown. Krejcir is fighting extradition to the Czech Republic, where he faces an 11-year prison sentence on tax fraud, conspiracy to murder, counterfeiting, extortion and abduction. He arrived in South Africa in 2007 with papers indicating he was an asylum seeker from the Seychelles. In July, Krejcir was the target of an apparent bid to kill him outside his Bedfordview office and he escaped unharmed. Several men reportedly associated to Krejicir have been shot and killed over the last two and a half years. Also on Monday, Krejcir appeared on the South Gauteng High Court to hear charges against him. Judge Ramarumo Monama ruled that Krejcir will be moved from prison to a medical facility because he could face renal failure if he did not get medical treatment, as claimed by his doctor, whose name was withheld for security reasons.