Disbarred lawyer Peet Viljoen is expected to learn on Monday, 17 August 2026, whether he will be released on bail while facing hundreds of criminal charges.
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court reserved judgment in July after hearing arguments from Viljoen’s defence and the prosecution.
Magistrate Nicca Setshogoe requested additional documentation from the State before deciding the application. Viljoen has remained in custody while awaiting the ruling.
About 400 charges before court
Viljoen faces about 400 charges, including fraud, theft, corruption, forgery and uttering.
The charges relate to an alleged R27.6 million property fraud scheme involving the Johannesburg Property Company.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Viljoen was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on 16 June after being deported from the United States.
Defence says Viljoen is not a flight risk
His lawyer, Andre Steenkamp, argued that Viljoen’s return to South Africa showed that he intended to face the charges.
The court heard that Viljoen initially asked to return voluntarily from the US and later requested deportation after that option was refused.
His defence offered strict conditions if bail is granted, including house arrest at his sister’s home in Olympus, Pretoria, and daily reporting to police.
Reports from the bail proceedings differ on the total amount Viljoen offered, with IOL reporting a proposed R200,000 arrangement while other reports described an overall R250,000 bail offer.
State strongly opposes release
The prosecution has opposed bail, arguing that Viljoen poses a flight risk and that releasing him would not be in the interests of justice.
The State also referred to social media posts in which Viljoen had previously spoken critically about South Africa and reportedly indicated that he did not intend to return.
Viljoen has defended his comments as an exercise of his constitutional right to freedom of expression.
The court is expected to weigh those competing arguments when it delivers its bail decision. As of Monday morning, the ruling had not yet been publicly reported in the sources reviewed.