Lawyer: It was just a game
2003-02-18 15:35
Johannesburg - A lawyer representing a neighbour of former president Nelson Mandela argued in court on Tuesday that the man and his friends were only playing friendly games of rummy and backgammon when police arrested them for illicit gambling last July.
Michael Trapido told the Johannesburg Regional Court that Ilhian Dirazz should be discharged.
Magistrate Steff Bezuidenhout had heard earlier evidence that undercover agents, after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public, allegedly gambled at Dirazz's double-storey Houghton home on two occasions before it was raided on July 19, 2001.
Dirazz's eight friends paid admission of guilt fines, but he refused and, after spending the night in custody, was released on bail of R10 000.
He has steadfastly maintained he is innocent of contravening the Gauteng Gambling and Betting Act. The court's ruling will be given on March 26.
In closing argument, Trapido said Gauteng's gambling laws, while being very broad, surely did not include games such as backgammon and rummy played among friends.
He asked the court to find Dirazz not guilty of running a casino without a licence, arguing that while gambling without a licence was illegal, it should not be illegal if the game played was not the type played in a casino.
The police confiscated backgammon tables, computer equipment used for sport gambling, casino chips, playing cards and money during the raid and the prosecution has pointed out the first floor appeared to be utilised for gambling activities, and not for family life.
- SAPA