Convicted wife killer Jason Rohde is running out of delay tactics to prevent the inevitable after a Cape Town court judge dismissed his recusal application.
Cape Town court denied Jason Rohde recusal application
As reported by Times Live, Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe delivered a summary of her judgment, where she dismissed Rohde’s contention that his trial and subsequent bail application was tainted by her alleged bias.
Rohde accused Salim-Hlophe of applying emotion in her observation of the trial he was convicted in, and categorically stated that he feared the judge would, in any circumstance involving him, rule against him without considering the facts of a case.
However, this fear, Salie-Hlophe said, was not qualified to properly support the basis of his application.
“[Rohde] has an apprehension that I may make an adverse finding in a further bail application. However, an apprehension of fear on an adverse order is not basis for recusal. This is a fundamental legal principle,” she said.
Judge Salim-Hlophe instructed Rohde, who’s on an extended bail, to “report to Plettenberg Bay police station in terms of the notice to undergo imprisonment issued by the registrar of this court … failing which he is to be arrested forthwith and committed to serve his sentence of 15 years’ direct imprisonment.”
The matter has since been postponed to Thursday 11 November for closure on the bail application.
Rohde still has a review application filed with the Constitutional Court. The convicted real estate magnate is challenging the Supreme Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss his attempt to overturn the guilty verdict on his wife’s murder.
Rohde was convicted of killing his wife, Susan, in July 2016 after her body was found hanging in a room they shared at a popular Cape Town wine estate.
He has always maintained that Susan took her own life.
