Cape advocate honoured by US Secret Service
CAPE Town advocate Robin Lewis, 34, has been honoured by the US Secret Service for his work on the case against members of the “ultra-violent” Nigerian cult and organised crime group, the Black Axe.
The international criminal organisation is notorious worldwide for its string of crimes, including violent murders and internet fraud scams.
Advocate Lewis helped prosecute eight Nigerian nationals in Cape Town who were charged with defrauding unsuspecting women worldwide in internet romance scams. The group is said to have defrauded unsuspecting women of almost $7 million (R102m), pretending to be rich men based in America.
“The US Secret Service awarded me for my work on the Black Axe case. Although I was awarded, I received a significant amount of assistance and guidance from Advocate Badenhorst.
“He played a key role in the matter, as did Colonel De Wee, Mr Klaasen from the Department of Home Affairs and Warrant Officer Van der Heever from Interpol. The matter is ongoing. They wanted to thank me, and other officials mentioned for our work thus far,” said Lewis.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Nicolette Bell welcomed the award, saying it recognised the hard work put into the case by Lewis and other partners in ensuring that justice was delivered to the victim of these crimes.
Last year the group applied for bail, and Lewis and Senior State Advocate Lenro Badenhorst successfully opposed it. “An extradition process to stand trial in America started, but they brought an interlocutory application to have the extradition bundles declared inadmissible. The court found that the extradition papers were not properly authenticated.
“The two prosecutors opposed the application, and both parties submitted their arguments. The court ruled that the bundles were properly authenticated and admissible,” said Eric Ntabazalila, the National Prosecuting Authority’s regional communications manager.
The case is set for March 30 for a further extradition hearing.