Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koene on Monday ruled that intercepted cellphone calls were admissible as evidence in the drug trafficking case involving the state security minister's wife.
In October lawyers representing Sheryl Cwele, the wife of Minister Siyabonga Cwele, and her co-accused Frank Nabolisa, objected to the use of transcripts of intercepted calls. Koene said intercepted calls from two cellphone numbers were admissible. The police recorded calls between Cwele, Nabolisa and convicted drug mule Tessa Beetge. Monday's ruling meant the state could use transcripts of the calls as evidence against the pair.
Advocates representing Cwele and Nabolisa said the Act under which the interception of the calls was authorised [REGULATION OF INTERCEPTION OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PROVISION OF COMMUNICATION-RELATED INFORMATION ACT 70 OF 2002] did not cover cellphones. They argued that the interception was not authorised by a designated judge and that it would "trample" the accused's privacy. The state believed the calls would present a detailed picture of what transpired between Cwele, Nabolisa and Beetge.
Beetge was arrested after 10kg of cocaine was found in her luggage in Brazil in 2008. Cwele and Nigerian national Nabolisa allegedly conspired to recruit Beetge and Charmaine Moss as drug mules. Moss previously told the court she turned down an offer of going to work overseas when she suspected something was amiss. Beetge is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence in São Paulo, Brazil.
The directive to monitor calls was granted by Judge J Swart on March 20 2008. It covered the period April 29 to June 16 2008. It was obtained to intercept calls to Nabolisa and others.
Beetge said in November that her "only mistake" had been in trusting Cwele. "Sheryl Cwele should be the one paying the price. She must face consequences for her actions," Beetge said from a Brazilian prison in an interview with Special Assignment. Beetge claimed she was offered a job by Cwele via SMS. She later met her for further details.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Showing posts with label Tessa Beetge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tessa Beetge. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Minister's wife in court on drug charges
Sheryl Cwele (50), wife of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, appeared on charges of drug dealing in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday. Cwele and Frank Nabolis, a Nigerian arrested last month, are facing three charges, Hawks spokesperson Musa Zondi said. These are dealing or conspiring to deal in drugs, procuring a woman called Charmaine Moss to collect drugs in Turkey and another, Tessa Beetge, to smuggle 9kg of cocaine.
Beetge was arrested in São Paulo by Brazilian police on June 13 2008. They found 9,2kg of cocaine concealed in her baggage and she is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence for drug-trafficking in São Paulo. Zondi said Cwele, who was arrested at her office on Friday morning, would remain in jail until her bail application is heard next Friday. "The state intends opposing bail," he added.
The Hawks said Moss was the state's main witness in the case, which prompted a call from the Democratic Alliance on Friday for the state security minister to resign. Cwele, who is the director for health and community services at the Hibiscus Coast Municipality, was linked to Beetge in newspaper reports early last year but denied any involvement in drug dealing. According to the state, she was in contact with Nabolis soon after Beetge's arrest and the Nigerian then left the country for a while. He was arrested in Gauteng in December and has been in jail since then. The Hawks said he is also believed to be involved in drug manufacturing in Gauteng.
State counsel, advocate Ian Cook, said Cwele and Nabolis would appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court again on February 12. In an interview with the Mercury newspaper a day before her arrest, Cwele insisted she was innocent and said as a Christian she believed "the only person who will solve the problem is God". Asked about the allegations against her, her husband reportedly told the newspaper: "I don't know anything you are talking about and nobody has been charged."
The DA on Friday urged him to prove that he was in no way involved in the matter or to resign from the Cabinet. "This is disturbing news and raises a number of serious questions regarding the minister. We believe that he must demonstrate to the South African public that he is in no way compromised by this matter; if he fails to do so, he ought to stand down from his position right away."
Source: Mail & Guardian
Beetge was arrested in São Paulo by Brazilian police on June 13 2008. They found 9,2kg of cocaine concealed in her baggage and she is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence for drug-trafficking in São Paulo. Zondi said Cwele, who was arrested at her office on Friday morning, would remain in jail until her bail application is heard next Friday. "The state intends opposing bail," he added.
The Hawks said Moss was the state's main witness in the case, which prompted a call from the Democratic Alliance on Friday for the state security minister to resign. Cwele, who is the director for health and community services at the Hibiscus Coast Municipality, was linked to Beetge in newspaper reports early last year but denied any involvement in drug dealing. According to the state, she was in contact with Nabolis soon after Beetge's arrest and the Nigerian then left the country for a while. He was arrested in Gauteng in December and has been in jail since then. The Hawks said he is also believed to be involved in drug manufacturing in Gauteng.
State counsel, advocate Ian Cook, said Cwele and Nabolis would appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court again on February 12. In an interview with the Mercury newspaper a day before her arrest, Cwele insisted she was innocent and said as a Christian she believed "the only person who will solve the problem is God". Asked about the allegations against her, her husband reportedly told the newspaper: "I don't know anything you are talking about and nobody has been charged."
The DA on Friday urged him to prove that he was in no way involved in the matter or to resign from the Cabinet. "This is disturbing news and raises a number of serious questions regarding the minister. We believe that he must demonstrate to the South African public that he is in no way compromised by this matter; if he fails to do so, he ought to stand down from his position right away."
Source: Mail & Guardian
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