Polokwane - A lingering mistrust between Home Affairs and the Nigerian embassy emerged behind the dock at the Polokwane Magistrate’s court on Friday.
A home affairs department official told the court, during Anthony Nwuafor’s bail hearing, that if the Nigerian national was released on bail he would flee trial.
Nwuafor is also suspected of using fake qualifications to get a job as a doctor.
State witness Bernard Mabitla testified that Nwuafor attempted to bribe Home Affairs officials in return for the release of his confiscated immigration documents.
Earlier this month Nwuafor and his wife were arrested along with Fareid Mall on charges of corruption and being in violation of the South African Immigration Act.
Mall was released on R1,500 bail and charges against Nwuafor’s wife were withdrawn.
On Friday the ANC Women’s League protested outside the court against the alleged fake doctor’s release on bail.
Inside the court, state witness Mabitla told the court that Nwuafor was a flight risk and could get new passport and flee to Nigeria because they don’t have control over the Nigerian embassy.
“There is a possibility he could go to the Nigerian embassy and acquire new passport. We work together with them but we cannot control them because he has already applied for passports with the Nigerian embassy without them consulting us,” Mabitla told the court.
Mabitla also revealed that Nwuafor had somehow managed to acquire a passport and visa even when his status was locked by Home Affairs.
“It was supposed to be issued by the Nigerian government in Nigeria, but it was issued by the Nigerian embassy here in South Africa, which was supposed to authenticate the documents.”
According to Home Affairs’ records, Nwuafor does not possess dual citizenship.
The accused was known to have travelled to Nigeria, however, his passports did not show that he never landed in Nigeria.
There were also disagreements over the accused’s names, but his legal team argued that it was Home Affairs’ business that the applicant had different names and dates of birth on his documents
According to Home Affairs’ records, Nwuafor had three documents. One ID document indicates the accused’s name is “Onke” and another identity document that he possesses names him as “Onkey.”
Advocate Apo Molepo, Nwuafor’s lawyer, told the court that it is not his client’s business that Home Affairs officials issued him with a document that contained a “spelling error”.
He asked state witnesses if this would mean that “there was corruption at Home Affairs.”
Mabitla responded to this and stated:”He might know that there is corruption, I don’t know.”
The bail hearing continues.
African News Agency
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