‘Missing’ Schroeder visited me – accused

Fraud and murder accused Jens Leunberg claims his alleged victim, Claus Schroeder, visited him three days after the state believes he was killed.

Leunberg, 41, on the stand for the fifth day, took the Port Elizabeth High Court through the bizarre events leading to his arrest for murder.

Schroeder’s body was never found.

Questioned by defence attorney Danie Gouws, Leunberg said he had agreed to be Schroeder’s alibi while he spent a couple of days with his mistress, identified as “Belinda”.

It is the state’s case that Leunberg and his then commonlaw wife, Kristina Adler, tried to defraud Claus and Tanja Schroeder through the sale of their Thornhill farm, Owvanhuk. Schroeder went to confront the couple on August 14 2009 and was never seen again.

The state believes he was murdered.
Leunberg said Belinda had fetched Schroeder at 11am on August 17 in a black Citi Golf with a Cape Town registration.

Leunberg and Schroeder had allegedly concocted a plan to tell Tanja he was occupied with business dealings.

Then, on August 15, he eventually told her the “truth”.

“Claus asked me to give him an alibi and it ended in chaos . . . I had to tell Tanja,” Leunberg said through a German interpreter.

He also told Tanja he had paid Schroeder ß5.5- million in cash just days prior, for the farm. She was unaware of this.

Leunberg said that late on the night of August 17, he heard his dogs barking outside. On investigation, he found Schroeder standing there. “He said he had now clarified everything with his girlfriend.”

The trial continues on Monday.