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Al-Bashir sneaked out of SA‚ high court told

Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan
Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan

The Home Affairs Department explained to the North Gauteng high court on Thursday that war crimes accused Omar Al-Bashir was not simply allowed to leave South Africa but that he had sneaked out of the country.

This is according to an affidavit submitted by the department’s director-general‚ Mkuseli Apleni‚ to the North Gauteng high court.

He said an internal investigation had revealed that Al-Bashir’s passport was not amongst those processed before the Sudanese presidential jet‚ flight SUDAN01‚ was cleared for takeoff from the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria.

Apleni said his department had no record of Al-Bashir leaving the country.

“It would then appear from the above that president Bashir departed from the republic without his passport presented to the immigration officer...‚” he said.

Apleni said state dignitaries did not have to present themselves before an immigration officer‚ saying protocol provided that their travel documents be presented by a representative of the delegation in the presence of an International Relations and Cooperation Department official attached to the delegation.

He said his department had fully complied with the North Gauteng high court order‚ saying the court order barring Al-Bashir from leaving the country had been served on all of the country’s 72 entry and exit ports by the time the court proceedings commenced at 11:40am last Monday.

Apleni was explaining the circumstances around Al-Bashir’s departure in the affidavit as ordered by the court.

Judge Dunston Mlambo has berated the government for disregard for the rule of law for defying the court order and advised that criminal proceedings be considered against those responsible for the disdain.

The Sudanese president is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in the Darfur conflict.

He was attending the African Union summit in Johannesburg when the Southern African Litigation Centre approached the court for an order forcing South Africa to surrender Al-Bashir to the ICC.

The court ruled that South Africa‚ as a signatory to the Rome Statute‚ was obliged to arrest Al-Bashir.

Cabinet on Thursday announced its decision to consider withdrawing South Africa’s participation in the ICC.

 

 

 

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