Walia to rule on Chirunga�s bail application
Mpho Mokwape | Thursday July 16, 2015 16:33
Chirunga is accused of murdering a University of Botswana Professor Richard Sehurutshe early this year. Sehurutshe was found dumped in Molepolole and his car stolen.
Chirunga is alleged to have abducted Sehurutshe at his Phase 2 home before he was found dead and dumped.
Walia will make a ruling after hearing the matter. Last week Friday, following his refusal to recuse himself from the matter, he was accused of pre- judging.
During Chirunga’s bail application, the state had opposed the application citing that Chirunga was a flight risk.
Kgalalelo Bafedile from Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had submitted that Chirunga was facing a serious offence and as such should not be given bail as he might skip the country. “Our fear is that if he is given bail, he is likely to skip the country and go back to his country before he can stand trial for what he is accused of,” she said.
Bafedile further said Chirunga has had previous brushes with the law having been linked with many crimes, therefore he might be a danger to society. However Chirunga’s attorney Friday Leburu dismissed the states’ fears saying that his client was not a flight risk as he was a Motswana despite the belief that he was a foreigner.
He said that the state was basing their arguments on the belief that Chirunga was not a Motswana when they had not produced any evidence to substantiate this. “According to my understanding my client is purely a Motswana and he is not a flight risk as alleged by the state,” he said.
Leburu also submitted that Chirunga had been given bail on numerous occasions before, and he has never skipped the country.
He submitted further that the accused would stay where he resided before being jailed or acquitted at the completion of the case.