Fugitives' deportation ordered

2003-08-22 15:17

Cape Town - A Cape Town magistrate on Friday ordered the deportation of alleged American bank robbers Craig Pritchert and his common-law wife Nova Gutherie.

Arrested in the city on Tuesday, they are wanted for a string of crimes committed in six states in the United States.

Magistrate Audrey Johnson ordered their deportation following an application by prosecutor Derek Vogel of the local Directorate for Public Prosecutions.

Johnson said the couple had offered no objections to their deportation and had given an undertaking not to appeal.

After the Pritchert and Gutherie were released from police custody but handed over to home affairs official Gideon Christian.

They will remain in custody under home affairs control, and are likely to be on their way back to the US on Monday.

Vogel told the court home affairs was entitled to keep them in custody for 60 days, but if the couple were not on their way by Monday, they would be by the end of next week.

Undesirable persons

He said the proceedings were in terms of a extradition treaty between South Africa and the US.

The bank robberies were extraditable offences. South Africa had received information from Interpol that the couple were living in Cape Town, and had been requested to carry out "provisional arrests".

He said it was discovered after their arrests that they were "undesirable persons", which included prohibited foreigners, in terms of immigration legislation.

Vogel said extradition and deportation were two different issues - extradition fell under a treaty between the South African justice department and the foreign country wanting the fugitives, while deportation was a home affairs matter.

He said home affairs had notified the couple that they were undesirable persons and had served deportation orders on them.

A warrant for their removal had also been drawn up, he said.

- SAPA