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Athelete Oscar Pistorius fined by tax authorities over undeclared assets during trial for Reeva Steenkamp's murder

The Olympian and Paralympian will appear in court again next month

James Legge
Monday 27 May 2013 09:32 BST
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Oscar Pistorius has been fined for unpaid taxes revealed during his ongoing murder trial
Oscar Pistorius has been fined for unpaid taxes revealed during his ongoing murder trial (Getty Images)

South Africa's tax authorities have fined Oscar Pistorius for unpaid taxes revealed during his ongoing murder trial.

The country's City Press newspaper reported that the South African Revenue Service fined the Olympian and Paralympian “less than one million rand” (£69,000), which he paid.

Pistorius will appear in court on June 4 for a brief hearing while the the police investigation into the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp earlier this year.

Steenkamp was found dead at Pistorius' Pretoria villa in the early hours of February 14. She had been shot several times. He has been charged with premeditated murder, which he denies. He says he shot her in error, mistaking her for an intruder.

The 26-year-old declared in a court affidavit during a bail application that he earned around $630,000 (£415,000) a year and owned three houses and a vacant plot in South Africa with a combined value of nearly $1 million (£659,000).

The City Press said he owns another house in Johannesburg, which the newspaper claims he bought for 9.8 million rand (£677,000) this year. That house was not declared in the affidavit.

A Pistorius family spokesperson did not immediately return phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on Sunday.

His family has denied previous media reports that Pistorius is facing financial ruin because of spiraling legal costs, saying in a statement in March that those legal bills, while huge, were “under control.” Nike and eyewear company Oakley suspended sponsorship deals with Pistorius after the killing.

The family said: “While the family doesn't deny that Oscar's legal expenses are massive and that he has sold off some of his investments, including his racehorses ... Oscar will evaluate the cost situation on a day-to-day basis and make decisions as required.

Pistorius has also pulled out of all athletic competition this year.

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