10 years later, Bolhuis gets his man as two Pretoria men sentenced to 41 years
"Hugo Ras is a danger to society - as a matter of fact, I think he is even a danger to himself. He is a menace," says Bolhuis.
After a 10-year investigation into the dealings of Hugo Ras, private investigator Mike Bolhuis is overjoyed after Ras was sent to jail for 29 years for fraud.
The National prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s Lumka Mahanjana says Ras (53) and Willem Andries van Jaarsveld (56), from Sinoville and Rosslyn in Pretoria, respectively, were sentenced to a collective 41 years imprisonment for fraud and theft.
Ras was also found guilty of possession of unlawful firearm and ammunition while van Jaarsveld was additionally found guilty for forgery.
"The two sold a boat to Bolhuis, which belonged to Conroy du Plessis," said Mahanjana.
"Ras offered the boat to Bolhuis for R200 000.00, and together with Van Jaarsveld then falsified papers of the boat as though Du Plessis sold the boat to Ras."
Bolhuis reported the transaction to the police after he read in the newspaper that Ras was arrested in another matter.
In May 2013, while Ras had gone to a gambling house to gamble, the police received a tip-off that the gambling house where Ras was at was dealing drugs, adds Mahanjana.
"When police arrived, they searched people that were there gambling, when they searched Ras they found him in possession of unlawful firearm and ammunition which belonged to his wife he was arrested.
"The charge of possession of unlawful firearm and ammunition were then added to those of the arrest in 2011 of fraud and theft."
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"For once, crime did not pay," said Bolhuis reaching to the sentence.
"Unfortunately, due to the corrupt police and the corrupt judicial system it seldom happens that a guy is sentenced to 29 years," he says.
"Hugo Ras is a danger to society - as a matter of fact, I think he is even a danger to himself. He is a menace," says Bolhuis, who lauded the cooperation between the public, police, and judicial system in securing the conviction.
