Kamogelo Moichela|Published
North West businessman Suliman Carrim will spend at least a week in custody after his bail proceedings were postponed to October 28, with the State accusing him of tailoring his account of when he knew he had been subpoenaed to appear before the Madlanga Commission.
Carrim appeared briefly at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where proceedings were postponed to allow the court more time to examine the transcripts before delivering its decision.
The State challenged Carrim’s account of when he knew he had been subpoenaed to testify before the commission.
This raised questions about the credibility of his evidence as the court considers whether to release him on bail.
The postponement means Carrim faces at least another week in custody while the magistrate scrutinises the record and considers the competing arguments.
His travel plans also came under scrutiny during Friday’s proceedings.
Prosecutors told the court that Carrim was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday night while allegedly preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia via Dubai.
The state said he held a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia without a return booking, a claim disputed by his legal team.
Prosecutors also questioned why Carrim was travelling with five large bags, describing the luggage as “voluminous” and arguing that his travel arrangements raised questions about whether he intended to return to South Africa.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics
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