SA doctor denied bail again

A FOURTH bid for bail by a South African doctor, detained in the United Arab Emirates for the death of one of his patients a decade ago, was rejected yesterday.

Emeritus Associate Professor Cyril Karabus’s application was denied by the Criminal Court in Dubai, his son Michael Karabus said yesterday.

The 77-year-old has been detained in Dubai since his arrest on August 18. His sentence included imprisonment for three years and six months.

His son Michael Karabus said he was disappointed that no reason had been given for why the latest bail bid had been rejected. “The man is 77 with heart disease. We don’t understand why he has been kept in a jail for seven weeks before they prove that he is guilty,” he said. “This is a 10-year-old case which was never properly investigated. My father was never given a chance to defend himself. He never fled but was not even notified that he was being tried.”

Cyril Karabus was detained while in transit through Dubai from the UK to SA on charges relating to the 2002 death in Abu Dhabi of a young girl who was suffering from leukaemia.

Michael said his father’s Abu Dhabi-based lawyers had again told the court that a check of hospital records would prove his innocence. The hearing was postponed to October 11.

Local labour lawyer Michael Bagraim, who is assisting the family, said the State had requested a postponement because it did not have the girl’s medical records or the documents he was accused of falsifying.