Murder accused Jens Leunberg placed a meticulous version of events before court yesterday, claiming that days before German businessman Claus Schroeder disappeared in 2009, he was handed €5.5-million in cash and spoke about starting a new life with his mistress.
Leunberg, 41, said Schroeder then signed a document acknowledging the payment for his Thornhill farm, Owvanhuk, but asked Leunberg not to tell his wife, Tanja, just yet.
During his testimony, Leunberg referred to Schroeder’s alleged mistress as Belinda.
The prosecution claims that Leunberg never paid for the farm and that Schroeder’s signature was forged. Handwriting experts were called to support the state’s belief.
Schroeder disappeared on August 14 2009.
Leunberg and his then common-law wife, Kristina Adler, are charged with his murder.
On the stand for the third day, Leunberg said that on the evening of August 3 2009, he saw Schroeder crying.
The two were travelling home together from a business trip in Cape Town.
“Claus was sitting in the passenger seat. He received an SMS. He then started to cry.
“I asked him what had happened and he said Tanja had messaged him.
“She suggested if he was too tired [to continue driving], he should rather sleep over somewhere,” Leunberg said.
He said after probing him further, Schroeder opened up about his marital problems.
“He said it is not easy after 25 years of marriage to separate. He felt trapped and wanted to break out of it.
“He said when he was going out with Belinda, he felt free and what love is.”
Tanja, together with her son and elderly parents, sat in the gallery and listened yesterday as Leunberg testified.
He said Schroeder felt financially bound to Tanja and her family.
“He was certain he wanted to start a new life with Belinda.”
Leunberg said at that point, they hit a deer in the road.
They stopped and placed it in the back of their vehicle.
Their conversation then turned to the sale of the farm.
“He said with this money [about R8.5-million at the time], he would be able to settle all his debt.
“There would then be R1-million left over for him and R1-million for Tanja.
“He told me Belinda would come down [to Jeffrey’s Bay] in a week or two and I must give him an alibi while she visits.”
They agreed they would say they were doing business with “the Arabs”.Leunberg said they had then stopped at Owvanhuk, where he and Adler were already living.
He claims he handed Schroeder a small sports bag filled with cash in his office.
They drank a cup of coffee, Schroeder counted the money and they signed the final page of the contract. No witnesses were asked to sign.
Leunberg said Schroeder took the original acknowledgement of payment with him and he was left with a copy.