Janine Oelofse
THE trial of Knysna developer Guy Hill, accused of defrauding his mother's construction company out of millions, has again been postponed.
Hill has pleaded not guilty and contends that while his mother, Betty, was company director, he was the sole beneficiary of any company earnings.
Defence attorney Eckert Brand said yesterday the matter had to be postponed as Hill could not pay a deposit for his legal representation in time.
"I have been paid for the work that I've already done, but my client could not pay a deposit for future work on time," Brand said.
He said in addition the state was experiencing problems ensuring the attendance at the Knysna Regional Court of a key witness for the prosecution.
Hill, facing 49 counts of fraud, uttering and theft, absconded to the US while out on bail in 2010 in order to sell his luxury yacht, apparently to finance his defence. He failed to return after being arrested by US police for selling stolen boat parts on eBay.
A statement on the United States Department of Homeland Security website says Hill was convicted in the Circuit Court for St Lucie in Florida of "grand theft, dealing in stolen property and dealing in stolen property on the internet", for which he was sentenced to a year in prison.
He served five months in a Florida jail before being extradited to South Africa in March last year.
According to the charge sheet, Hill allegedly used falsified documents to obtain a bond in the name of Hill-Pro, Betty's company, to buy a luxury Knysna property which he later sold for R4.76-million.
He was twice granted bonds by Standard Bank and First National Bank for about R2.6-million on the strength of allegedly forged documents in which he is accused of signing his mother's name as well the names of the company's accountant and auditor.
Hill also allegedly stole R1.75-million using a Hill-Pro cheque issued to a company he had set up.
Almost all of the charges carry an alternate count in which Hill is accused of illegally applying for large amounts of credit and carrying out business transactions without letting it be known that he was an unrehabilitated insolvent. A new date for the trial has not yet been set.
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