SOWETAN SAYS | Come clean on Libyans' return home

The group of 95 Libyan nationals have had the charges against them dropped and will be deported.
The group of 95 Libyan nationals have had the charges against them dropped and will be deported.
Image: Mandla Khoza

The dropping of charges last week against 95 Libyans who were arrested at a suspected military camp in Mpumalanga and their subsequent deportation raises many questions.

The Libyans were arrested for misrepresenting themselves when applying for "study visas". Their case attracted global attention after they were found to be undergoing military training at a camp where they were meant to receive security training. It became a story of domestic security as it was about diplomatic relations.

That such a large group was discovered undergoing suspicious training in SA undetected for a while was of great concern to many South Africans about the security of their country. More questions were being asked about the intentions of those who helped the men come to SA under the guise of obtaining security training.

Yet, following their appearance in court last week, the NPA said it had decided to withdraw the charges of transgression of immigration laws against the Libyans. It further said they would be handed over to the department of home affairs for deportation, without stating on what basis this was being done.

The state has failed to adequately explain why it decided to withdraw the charges instead of allowing the process to conclude in court. The NPA’s attempts to sidestep questions by citing insufficient evidence to secure successful prosecution as the reason was simply hollow.

This was because the same prosecution equally insisted that investigations into the role of other individuals involved are ongoing. This is mind-boggling.

And yesterday the confusion was deepened further as the Libyans left the country in a plane apparently paid for by their government.

Again, officials dug in their heels when asked questions about the logistics of the deportation and who approached who regarding the authorisation of the plane transporting the Libyans home.

Home affairs referred questions to the Libyan embassy, saying it had only facilitated deportation and not logistics.  The lack of transparency on the part of the government in the handling of the matter that some believed put our national security at risk and called our sovereignty into question is shocking.

Our government must come clean on this important matter of the Libyans.

SowetanLIVE

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