Cops 'freed drug dealers'
2009-10-30 21:05
Johannesburg - A court official and two policemen appeared in the Britz Regional Court for allegedly freeing two Zimbabweans after they were arrested in a R270m drug bust and denied bail, the North West public safety department said on Friday.
"The three suspects are alleged to have faked warrants of detention in order to, against the directive of the court, release two Zimbabwean nationals.
"The court had expressly denied them bail as they were a flight risk," said spokesperson Lesiba Kgwele.
Emmanuel Masara and Standton Musumburi were "released on bail" of R500.
The pair were arrested in 2007 along with Alfred Campbell, Warren Gillespie, Mariaan Walsch and Warwick Walsch, for the alleged manufacture of "ice" at the Mooinooi farm.
"When the two were due to appear... the court was shocked [that they were out on bail] and immediately issued a warrant for their arrest," he said.
"More arrests are imminent... there was collusion from inside the court and the police outside."
The court official and policemen appeared in court on Thursday on charges of defeating the ends of justice and the case was postponed to November 2.
Public Safety MEC Howard Yawa commended the police for their arrest of the three.
"The war against crime starts with cleaning our own house so that criminals know that none of us are on their side, the battle lines are drawn, there is no place in the justice crime prevention and security environment for police and court officials who facilitate escapes of suspects from custody," he said.
- SAPA