ANT KATZ

Updated: 29 January:

Israeli media reports on which Jewish Report relied on would appear to have been questionable at best on a number of issues. These were relied on as the only police spokesman empowered to comment on this matter was out of country and several attempts by SAJR to contact him were unsuccessful.

Contrary claims that have come to Jewish Report Online’s attention since publication of this week’s story, Did SA set alleged Israeli Mobster free on bail, which include the following and will be fully reported on next week:

• Musli did, in fact appear before the Randburg for a bail hearing on this month;
• The court ruled on the following day, releasing him on bail of R100,000 (not$10,000 as stated in Israeli media);
• When a person is charged with a so-called Schedule 6 offence, such as murder, which applies in this case, there have to be special circumstances to warrant grating bail;
• The court apparently agreed with Musli’s newly-appointed advocate Laurence Hodes’ argument on Jan 18, that such circumstances did exist – although SAJR is yet to determine what these were;
• Musli changed both his attorney (now Ian Levitt) and his advocate between his December and January appearances; and
• The actual extradition hearing was postponed to 1 March 2016. 

There are various spellings of the Israeli’s names, both in local and foreign media reports, as well as in court papers. This is not unusual as the translations are from his Hebrew name:

SA Jewish Report first used the generally-used South African media spellings of Shai Musli so as not to confuse local readers who were following the story elsewhere. For the same reason, the spelling has been maintained to facilitate website searches for previous stories.

Israeli media widely use Shay and SAJR understand that the police and extradition documentations uses the surname spelled as Moslie.

Original report:

Police have been unable to explain why one of the highest profile awaiting-trial prisoners in the country, alleged Israeli mob leader Shai Musli, was not in court on January 18, as scheduled.

Musli, who has had his case remanded three times before, had arrived at court in November under unusually heavy police protection after police received a “credible tip-off” that there may have been a mob-plot to spring him.

Musli (pictured left at Randburg Magistrates’ Couurt) was arrested on the request of the Prosecutor’s Office of Israel and Interpol, His SA prosecutor, Christo Steyn said at an early hearing that his alleged crimes, for which Israel – through Interpol – is seeking his extradition, included murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder

This week Israel’s Channel 10 News reported that Musli, who was scheduled to appear in court on January 18 and didn’t, was released on $10 000 bail. The TV channel merely quoted “sources” and SAPS spokesmen have not responded to Jewish Report Online’s enquiries – but it appears that there was, indeed, no hearing on the scheduled date.

Channel 10 said that a gang member had agreed to turn state witness in Israel on the alleged charges of “assassinations, illegal possession of weapons, racketeering, arson and robbery”. The TV channel also claimed that the killer, who agreed to become a state witness, said that “a fee for every murder in Bat Yam and Rishon LeZion was $50,000”.

The channel said, according to its “unnamed sources” that the SA courts had been shocked to hear that in Israel a state witness “gets paid for hi/her testimony, which is unacceptable in South Africa and stressed that this exemption will impede the process of extradition of a dangerous criminal”.

Israeli security officials have for years been hunting around the world for Musli. However, he has allegedly been hiding out in SA since 2012 – lying low and moving often. He is alleged to head one of Israel’s most feared crime families, a family claimed to have waged a reign of terror in Tel Aviv and using their connections to the global criminal underworld, including South Africa’s, to remove rivals and expand their empire.

On November 11, Jewish Report first published the Israeli’s bail and extradition hearings, telling how Israeli authorities had sought Musli across the globe, how he came to be arrested, his first appearance in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court and how he was being held under guard at an undisclosed Gauteng prison. His first appearance led to a remand in custody until later in the month when he would apply for bail.

Israel wants Musli for murders and other crimes. His case was again remanded. He was again remanded until last week, and then to January 18. It is not certain what next date has been set for him to appear in court.

But so far no confirmation could be had that Musli is in fact out on bail and which magistrate granted it, if so. If the police initially took extra precautions to ensure that Musli’s “mob pals” don’t spring him, it is puzzling that he would be granted bail.

If he is in fact out on bail, will this elusive Israeli pitch for his SA extradition hearing?

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Related Reads on SAJR:

On November 11, Jewish Report first published Israeli’s bail and extradition hearings paired telling how Israeli authorities had sought Musli across the globe, how he came to be arrested, his first appearance in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court and how he was being held under guard at an undisclosed Gauteng prison. His first appearance led to a remand in custody until later in the month when he would apply for bail.
Israel wants Musli for murders and other crimes appeared on SAJR on November 17 after Musli was again remanded. He had arrived at court under unusually high protection after police received a credible tip-off that there may have been a mob-plot to pry him free from his captors. He was again remanded until last week, and now, to January.

At the December hearing the case was again remanded to January 18 – but never took place.