South Africa: Card Fraud Suspect Wins Bail

A Bulgarian woman has been released on bail while her Cape Town fiancé awaits formal charges of fraud involving close on R1 million.

Antoinette Pitkova, 25, and Mario de Oliveria were arrested at their Table View home late last year. They appeared before Magistrate Mogamad Esau in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Pitkova had been denied bail in her last court appearance, despite her attorney's appeal for medical treatment.

He said she displayed suicidal tendencies and had chest pains.

The State alleges that the couple manufactured illegal credit cards at their home.

State advocate Zama Matayi said the State no longer opposed bail. He proposed a bail amount of R10 000 and suggested strict bail conditions.

Defence attorney George Catsicadellis, the third attorney to go on record for both accused since their arrest on December 28, read out Pitkova's affidavit and confirmed the recommended bail and conditions.

The accused were arrested during a raid in which police seized about R200 000 of electronic equipment used in the manufacture of credit cards.

The equipment included a skimming device used to read, write and encode credit cards and an embossing machine to imprint the details of the alleged cardholder.

Police also seized 100 blank plastic cards ready for production, five computers and two unlicensed firearms.

Esau set bail at R10 000 on condition that Pitkova handed over her two passports and any other travel documents to the investigating officer, that she reported to the Table View police station every second day, and that she stayed away from the country's border posts.

A smiling Pitkova seemed in good spirits, unlike her crying and disorientation in her previous court appearances.


Matayi requested a postponement. Catsicadellis confirmed the request for the charge sheet and asked that the postponement be marked for a bail application.

Matayi said the case was still being investigated and that alleged offences so far involved more than R500 000.

Esau remanded De Oliveria and postponed the case to next Tuesday for a provisional charge sheet and a bail application hearing.