Court denies bail to Shaun Roos amid bribery allegations involving R4 million
Businessman Shaun Roos, 56, faces serious bribery charges linked to alleged ties with the notorious 28s prison gang.
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After a long and drawn-out bail battle in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, a man accused of trying to bribe a City of Cape Town official was dealt a heavy blow when the court denied him bail.
Shaun Roos, 56, faces a Schedule 5 charge of corruption after he allegedly attempted to influence an investigation linked to municipal contracts worth about R1.6 billion awarded to his company, Triple C Maintenance and Services.
The State alleges that Roos tried to bribe City manager Lungelo Mbandazayo with R4 million to influence tender outcomes and halt investigations into his company.
His bail application turned into a lengthy and dramatic process, with both the State and defence dropping bombshell claims.
Roos’ lawyer, defence attorney William Booth, argued that his client was not the one offering a bribe, but was instead being extorted.
The court previously heard claims from Roos saying he attended the meeting out of desperation to stabilise his company’s cash flow, maintaining that he was the one being extorted.
The State, however, rejected this version, arguing that the meeting was recorded and shows the accused requesting assistance to retain contracts and halt investigations, while offering millions in return.
The State further told the court that the accused poses a risk if released on bail.
The State also claimed that Roos allegedly had links to the 28s prison.
Court documents added: “According to the information received, the witness further alleged that the accused, Shaun Roos, as per the above-mentioned alignment, gave instructions to certain individuals to follow and kidnap the witness…
“It was further alleged that the only reason the planned kidnapping did not proceed was due to the witness’s child being present in the vehicle at one occasion.”
However, the magistrate found that the defence failed to properly challenge the State’s strong prima facie (Latin for 'at first sight') case.
Roos was denied bail and remains in custody.