Robbery extradition case scheduled for 2011

Tebogo Kgalemang
Correspondent | Wednesday December 15, 2010 00:00

The suspect has denied that he is the Andrew Hlabangane, as named in South African extradition application papers, refuting ownership of the names.

He told the court that he is surprised at the names, the State is using for him.  He said his names are Surprise Phiri from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe not Andrew Hlhabangane.  'I am not the person they are looking for, and I have never been to South Africa.  I do not know why they want me to account for someone's matters,' he lamented giving evidence. The suspect went on to tell the court that he was surprised when police officers in plain clothes apprehended him last August when he came to buy his groceries in Francistown from Zimbabwe.  'I was at the hiking stop with other people when the police officers approached us and asked us to lie on the ground.  They said they suspected us of possession of firearms and we were as such apprehended,' he stated. The information before the court is that Andrew Hlabangane and others not before the court allegedly robbed First National Bank (FNB) in South Africa and got away with about P1 million in cash in 2005.

The suspect was arrested in Francistown last year for possession of firearms after he allegedly ran away from the trial, which had been scheduled for May in South Africa.

Allegations made by the State are that the suspect's fingerprints captured during the offence in Botswana, were identical to the ones taken in South Africa though the names varied.

The South African investigating police officer Fernando Lewis, had told the court the suspect is the one they are looking for in South Africa despite the different names.

'He is using different names in different countries, as he is known as Surprise Phiri when he was arrested in Botswana.  We came and identified him after we were informed that he was detained in Francistown last year,' Lewis submitted.  Lewis further indicated that Surprise Phiri as he called himself in Botswana, and the fingerprints of Andrew Hlabangane are the same as the ones of a suspect they were looking for in South Africa. Besides the evidence of the fingerprints, the State also indicated that there was a videotape of the robbery.  Defence attorney, Tshekiso Tshekiso had in April this year asked the court for postponement of trial in order to secure services of an expert in fingerprints.  They denied knowledge of the fingerprints brought as evidence before court.  Later in August the defence asked for another postponement as they said that since April they have had challenges seeking the services of an expert.  They said the expert they had thought could assist them had told them that he only specialised in general forensic testing like DNA and not fingerprints.

When the trial resumed in December the defence again said that they had not been able to secure services of a private expert.  They, however, agreed to continue with the trial.