Surtee gets bail, her co-accused locked up

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Friday January 8, 2010 00:00

 

The Extension 2 Magistrate Rebaone Mmereki granted bail to Surtee after her attorney dismissed an application by the police to have her detained pending completion of their investigations. The attorney argued that she was not a threat to the police investigations, she had been cooperating with them, and that she is a mother of three kids who should be going to school next week and they need her support.

The magistrate said that the police have failed to prove that she would interfere with their investigations and whether the state would suffer any prejudice. She was granted bail on condition that she does not interfere with police investigations, provide three sureties and that she reports to Gaborone West Police Station every week. It was her first court appearance yesterday since the commission of the offence.

However, her co-accused Happy Charumbwana was not that lucky and he will spend additional 14 days in jail. He was arrested on the 30th December 2009 and appeared in court the same day. Charumbwana tried to appeal to the court that at the moment he is as equally innocent as Surtee and that he has been cooperating with the police in recovery of some of the stolen goods. He added that the police have revealed that other suspects were in police custody in South Africa, and that even after their extradition into Botswana they would still be in police custody, hence there was no way he could interfere with them. These arguments were not enough to convince the magistrate to grant him bail and he locked him up.

According to the police charge sheet, Surtee, Charumbwana and others broke into Home Corp on the night of December 16. Some of the stolen goods were allegedly recovered from the Michael (Not former MP) and Edward Mzwinila in South Africa and they were arrested and appeared before the Mafikeng Magistrate Court on Wednesday. They will appear again on the 21st of this month when extradition would have possibly been concluded.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Baroda armed robbery long running trial in which Surtee and her two sons - the Mzwinila's - are accused persons is scheduled for continuation some time this year. The three and others are accused of attempting to rob Bank of Baroda P1million some time in 2003 and they are out on bail for the offence.