State under fire as case against Nigerian national drags on
In a major setback for the state, fed-up with the prosecution’s tortoise-like progress, Extension II Chief Magistrate, Kamogelo Mmesi has warned them to get a move on in their case against a Nigerian national or face the consequences.
Postponing 53-year-old Njoku Uche’s mention to 11 August, Magistrate Mmesi said she would have no option but to withdraw the matter if there were no developments by then.
Charged with aiding and abetting crime, Uche is accused of masterminding the illegal entry of six Mexicans into the country back in late November last year.
The South Americans all pleaded guilty to being in Botswana unlawfully and were sentenced to a year in jail on top of P5, 000 fines.
Adding to the intrigue surrounding the high-profile case, the six are rumoured to be wanted by Interpol in Mozambique in connection with drug trafficking.
Currently free on bail, Uche has maintained his innocence throughout.
During Tuesday’s heated mention, his lawyer, Farayi Mahwite, expressed frustration at the state’s handling of the matter, noting progress has stalled to a standstill since the departure of the substantive prosecutor, Keletso Kgathi.
“We are yet to be served with the summary of the state’s case despite several court appearances,” he fumed, pointing out the repeated postponements were costing his client an unnecessary fortune.
Arguing there was little indication the prosecution would be ready to proceed in August, the attorney suggested postponing the matter to November instead to give the state enough time to sort themselves out.
“The state’s case only relies on alleged confessions by the convicted Mexicans, they clearly will need a lot of time to prepare,” maintained Mahwite.
State prosecutor, Keletso Kgathi has previously indicated they suspect this was not a one man job and expect more heads to roll, amongst them an Immigration Officer named ‘Bulawa’, reportedly responsible for stamping the passports as well as an agent who allegedly assisted with aiding and abetting the Mexicans.
With her patience running out, Magistrate Mmesi advised the prosecution to consider withdrawing the case, giving them liberty to reinstate it at a later stage once ready to proceed.
If they haven’t got their affairs in order by August, that decision will be taken out of their hands!
