South African authorities are set to begin the process of returning fugitive Thabo Bester, following his recent arrest in Tanzania.
This comes just days after South Africa’s bid to have two brothers from the wealthy Gupta family extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) failed.
A high-level delegation composed of various law enforcement authorities is in Tanzania to bring Bester and his partner Dr Nandipha Magudumana back to South Africa.
In conjunction with Tanzanian authorities, the delegation is set to find the quickest way to return Thabo back home to serve out his sentence.
According to legal experts, deportation as opposed to a much lengthier extradition process would be the easier option to pursue.
This is due to the fact that Thabo was arrested for illegal entry into Tanzania.
The South African delegation is banking on the good relations between the two countries to speed up Thabo’s return – whichever route that may be.
How soon he will be on a plane back to South Africa remains unclear at this point.-Reporting by Isaac Lukando
The video below is reporting more on the story:
Meanwhile, two more suspects in the prison break saga are due to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
A 39-year-old former G4S employee was arrested on Saturday in Bloemfontein and a 65-year-old man from Port Edward, in KwaZulu-Natal, was taken into custody on Friday.
Police Spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says the men are charged with aiding and abetting a convicted prisoner to escape from lawful custody.
Mathe says the law enforcement delegation led by the Deputy National Commissioner responsible for policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, has also arrived in Tanzania.
“The team is currently engaged with their Tanzanian counterparts to finalise all legal processes required towards bringing escapee Thabo Bester and his accomplices to justice in South Africa. The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has welcomed the latest arrests and confirmed that the possibility of more arrests could not be ruled out.”
“General Masemola has again reiterated the appeal to the media and the public to exercise patience and allow the investigators the space to conduct the investigations with no undue pressure and expectation,” adds Mathe.
Intelligence, Interpol worked with SA Police to find Bester – Andy Mashaile weighs in:
