Louka's remains to leave SA for Cyprus

The body was only expected to reach Cyprus on Monday, said Owen Blumberg.

"I don't know when the official burial will be," he said.

Louka died at the hospital wing of the Kgosi Mampuru II hospital on Monday night.

He had stage four lung cancer.

Co-operation

 

The prison officials had been very co-operative in the process to have his body released and a funeral parlour working with the Cyprian embassy had received the body on Thursday, said Blumberg.

He had tried to get a dying Louka out of jail last month and back home to his family.

Louka had been in prison since last year following his extradition from Cyprus. He was awaiting trial for the murder of strip club owner, Lolly Jackson, who was gunned down in May 2010.

The trial had been set down for October.

Denied killing Jackson

In his bid to be set free, an ailing Louka took to the stand and denied killing Jackson.

He was a much thinner version from the Interpol picture circulated when he jumped the border into Mozambique and made his way home to Cyprus after Jackson's murder.

Sitting in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank hissing at his feet and a breathing mask over his face, Louka told the court that it was Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir, who faces a string of charges including murder and attempted murder, who had killed Jackson.

Louka's request to be sent home was denied.

Author: News24

NewsWire ID: 3391

File photo: Youtube