The 95 Libyan nationals arrested at an illegal military base in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, appeared in the White River Magistrate's Court on Monday. Their case was postponed to find an interpreter. The suspects were arrested on Friday.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said the Magistrate also indicated that they can have a legal representative. Their matter was postponed to August 5.
The arrest of the 95 Libyan nationals followed a raid by Mpumalanga police on a farm, where they uncovered a secret military base used for training since April. The operation was initiated after a tip-off from community members in Masoyi village near the base.
Mdhluli said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) received intelligence about the activities on this farm. The subsequent raid led to the detention of 95 Libyan nationals who were found to be training at the camp.
On Monday, NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa announced that the prosecuting authority in Mpumalanga had decided to proceed with the prosecution of the 95 Libyan nationals.
“I can confirm that the NPA has received dockets regarding the 95 Libyan nationals who where arrested last Friday.
“At this stage, the NPA has made a decision to prosecute all 95 Libyan nationals on a charge of misrepresentation of the application in their visas. It’s the only charge at this stage... So when they appear the matter will be postponed for further investigations,” she said.
She added that further investigations would indicate whether to add more charges against the accused.
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