Alleged member of notorious online scammers granted bail

A NIGERIAN citizen, who is accused of being a member of the Neo Movement of Africa, also known as the “Black Axe”, was granted bail with strict conditions.

He was detained in jail after claims that the movement duped victims in the US, via the internet and cellphones in romance scams.

The applicant, who is not named as there are no formal charges against him, was provisionally arrested, along with several other people.

This was after the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Western Cape earlier received a request from the US in this regard.

There has been no formal request for his extradition, and because a magistrate had refused him bail, he had to remain behind bars.

He successfully turned to the Western Cape High Court to appeal against the magistrate’s decision and to request bail.

The court, on appeal, said there was, at best, a criminal complaint levelled against him and it would be unfair to keep him in jail.

The bail proceedings were heard and conducted collectively in the lower court for him and eight of his co-accused. Of the eight, six have received formal requests for their extradition to the US.

No individual bail applications were heard for each co-accused.

Acting Judge GL Carter said there was no evidence that the lower court looked into the applicant’s personal circumstances before refusing him bail.

In granting him bail, with strict conditions, Judge Carter said the applicant was arrested in October last year and there was no certainty about how long it would take, if ever, for the extradition inquiry and his possible transfer to the US.