Africa-Press – Eswatini. As the influx of Asians into Eswatini continues, a total of 12 Asian men are currently remanded in police custody after they were arrested at KM III International Airport for illegal entry. The men, whose ages range between 16 to 40, were arrested upon arrival at the airport on Friday.
They were expected to make an appearance before the Siteki Magistrate’s Court yesterday as per the constitutional timeframe for them to appear before a judicial officer had already elapsed. According to the constitution, a suspect can only be kept in police custody for a maximum of 48 hours before being taken to court for either a remand appearance or trial. This did not happen as the prosecution was reportedly still preparing the charge sheet by the end of yesterday.
The men were represented by lawyer Ernest Mavuso as they were brought to court but only to be turned back to police custody without making an appearance before a magistrate. According to a source close to the matter, the 12 men produced travel documents which were deemed fraudulent by the arresting officers. Some of the men were said to have been without permits allowing them to enter and stay in Eswatini.
Arrested
They were subsequently arrested and taken to the Siteki Police Station on Friday.
When addressing them after making numerous attempts to have the Asian men appear before a magistrate, Mavuso highlighted that they had already spent more than 48 hours in the police cells as Magistrate’s Courts no longer operate on weekends. He also pointed out that the suspects were being kept in small cells where they were at high risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. He informed the suspects that the prosecution was reportedly still preparing the charge sheet and, therefore, not ready to proceed with the matter.
Mavuso said they were going to raise these irregularities when the matter is eventually brought before court today. At the time of compiling this report, Mavuso disclosed that his team was still negotiating with the police to provide the suspects with an alternative accommodation while waiting for their appearance before court.
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