Rhino poaching accused is denied bail

RHINO poaching had been condemned worldwide and, the statistics that about 4 000 of these animals had been killed between 2008 and January this year were worrisome.

This was according to Judge Bert Bam, sitting in the Pretoria High Court, in a judgement in which he cited his reasons for denying bail to alleged rhino poaching kingpin Hugo Ras.

A Pretoria magistrate refused Ras bail in January, and he turned to the high court to appeal against this finding.

But Judge Bam found that the magistrate had not erred in refusing Ras bail. Ras was allegedly part of a rhino poaching syndicate facing 248 charges, which include money laundering, contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, theft and trade in rhino horns.

Of the 10 accused, Ras and his brother-in-law, Abraham Smit, did not receive bail. The alleged gang was arrested last year during a countrywide operation led by the Hawks.

Watertight

Ras’s wife, Trudie, is among the accused who received bail earlier. It is claimed the alleged syndicate killed 24 rhino between 2008 and 2012, involving horns to the value of about R16 million.

The State claimed it had a watertight case against Ras and his co-accused and that it had a line-up of witnesses who would testify against him and his co-accused.

One of the investigating officers testified that Ras said “he was covered, as some of these witnesses were his friends, especially one, who was his best pal”.

Ras presented 24 objections to the 40-page judgment delivered by the magistrate in January, when he refused him bail.

Judge Bam said most of these objections were vague and non-specific.

The objections included that the State had not caught Ras in possession of rhino horns and that the magistrate had overemphasised the interest of the community in rhino poaching-related cases.

Ras also said he thought it unfair that eight of his coaccused had been released, but he had had to remain in jail awaiting trial.

Judge Bam said it was undisputed that rhino poaching-related charges were serious. He commented that it was well known that the authorities found it exceptionally difficult to curb this type of crime.

Judge Bam said he could not find that the magistrate had overemphasised the alleged crimes.

The judge added that the investigating officer had submitted several damning affidavits which were expected to be presented during the criminal trial.

Ras, on the other hand, simply denied all the allegations.

He pointed out that no rhino horns had been found in his possession and that he had not been around during any of the police traps.

The magistrate, during his judgment, commented that Ras “had a shady and unstable past”. Judge Bam agreed with that.

“It seems as if the appellant, Ras, just cannot stay out of trouble.”