Alleged Human Trafficker Granted Bail

Mpho Mokwape | Monday February 1, 2016 16:05

 

Imanu Samoki Cunningham, 43, who was granted conditional bail yesterday by the Village Magistrate Court has been linked to an international human trafficking syndicate. 

Cunningham was arrested at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) on November 15, 2015.

Cunningham, who is a businessman married to a Motswana, was arrested when he went to fetch one of the victims believed to be a 27-year-old man from Ethiopia who had just arrived.

Magistrate Ike Raphael said he was granting Cunningham bail on condition that he binds himself with P10,000 and provide two Batswana sureties with P5,000 each.

“The suspect will also have to surrender all his travel documents, report to the police once a week, not interfere with police investigations or witnesses, not to be involved in any similar crime and attend all court dates,” he said.

Earlier on, prosecutor Priscilla Israel did not oppose the bail stating that the DPP has established that the accused was in the country legally and that his travel documents were in order.

Representing the accused, Yul Moncho argued that the charge sheet would have to be re-visited and amended because what his client was charged with, clashed with what was written under the Penal Code.

“My client is charged with human trafficking, which under its description in the Penal Code does not resonate with what he did.   The charge sheet needs to be revisited for the purpose of amendment,” he said.

Mention is set for March 10, 2016

Meanwhile, five people also appeared before magistrate Raphael on two charges of motor vehicle theft.

The five, Senior Transport Assistant Oteng Helman Pule, Principal Transport Planner, Modisaotsile Rentse -  both from the Central Transport Organisation - along with Thabo Seswai, Nadeem Khan, Bibi Fatima Rasul and Sayed Zameel Rasul, are accused of stealing a white Ford Ranger and Toyota Land Cruiser in 2014.  Both vehicles, valued over P600,000, belonged to the government.

During their appearance, state prosecutor Kutlo Tsekane said the other co-accused have turned accomplice witnesses.

“The 5th and 6th accused being Bibi Rasul and Sayed Rasul have turned state witnesses and we are still recording their statements and the rest of the accused will be furnished with them soon,” he said.

He told court that the trial dates set for March 7 to 18, 2016 were still suitable and that all the accused have been served with relevant documents.

Mention is set for February 12, 2016.