No interpreter, so ‘robber’ may walk free

Nigerian likely to be freed as he speaks ‘only Ika’

A Nigerian suspect arrested for armed robbery could have his case struck off the roll if an interpreter is not found by Monday.

The suspect who claims he can only speak Ika, a langauge spoken in southern Nigeria, and his Igbo-speaking co-accused, were arrested for armed robbery in August. They have been remanded in custody for three months now as the state struggles to secure an Ika-speaking interpreter.

The two appeared before magistrate Takalani Vincent Ratshibvumo in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court yesterday. A senior interpreter told the court that they could not secure an interpreter as the one she had called was not approved after it was discovered he did not have the required qualifications as he presented a certificate of competency and not a qualification.

The prosecutor asked the court to give them time to contact the Nigerian embassy with the hope of getting an interpreter.

But Gloria Matlala, representing the Igbo speaker, objected to any further postponement saying the issue of the embassy was raised before and no contact was made.

“The case should be struck off the roll because it is prejudice for my client who is ready for a trial,” Matlala said. When Ratshibvumo questioned the Ika-speaking suspect, he only managed to say he was a self-employed computer engineer. Ratshibvumo said the situation was hopeless and that it put him in a difficult position.

“I find myself with role players who are not coming on board. No necessary steps were taken to find an interpreter and there was no communication with the embassy.

“There are no guarantees that the embassy will secure the interpreter. I also have a duty to see to it that any accused is informed of his rights and also given a chance to apply for bail. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do that as there is a need for an Ika interpreter,” he said. He said with the offence the man was suspected of having committed might send him to jail for 15 years.

“Even though I am tempted to struck the matter off the roll I am going to give the state a final postponement until Monday. If there is no interpreter by then, I would expect that charges will be withdrawn,” he said.

“On this regard, I don’t see why the victim should be stopped from litigation because the complainant is entitled to justice. This is the message the senior interpreter and the state prosecutor should pass to their superiors,” he said.

The Igbo-speaking suspect’s case was postponed to March 7 and 8 for trial.

The case should be struck off the roll, it prejudices my client