Thursday, March 21, 2013

21-Mar-13: Is Prof Karabus finally being released and going home?

Under the headline "Cyril Karabus is a free man", a South African website, Eyewitness News, reported earlier today on the latest stages in an affair that we have followed with rising [deleted] from its start some seven long months ago. But read it through to the end to understand about some issues that may yet have to be resolved.
CAPE TOWN - South African doctor Cyril Karabus is now officially a free man and can return home. An Abu Dhabi court on Thursday morning found the 77-year-old paediatric oncologist not guilty of manslaughter and forgery charges. This week a medical review committee in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) found Karabus was not to blame for the death of a young cancer patient he treated there over a decade ago. He was arrested in August while travelling from Canada to South Africa. UAE officials arrested him while in transit at a Dubai airport. He was convicted in absentia for manslaughter and forgery in the UAE. He was detained in Abu Dhabi for several months. The International Relations Department’s Clayson Monyela said: “The South African government is pleased to announce that Professor Karabus has been found not guilty by the court in the UAE. This follows the report of the medical review committee that has cleared him of any wrong doing.” It could still take up to a week before he returns home. However, Karabus’ lawyer Michael Bagraim said they still have one or two problems to sort out. “The prosecution can in terms of their law appeal and they have two weeks in which to lodge that appeal and the problem is while they’re waiting to decide if they want to do that, we can’t get the passport back.” Bagraim said he has asked South Africa’s deputy international relations minister to put pressure on the UAE to immediately release the professor’s passport.
We will refrain from all further commentary until... you know what we mean.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Does this website take the position that Dr Karabus was convicted in absentia and then detained in Dubai because he is Jewish? Do you take the view that the Government of Abu Dhabi would stop Dr Karabus leaving after his acquittal and after the mandatory 15 day appeal period because he is Jewish? Lastly, do you take the position that the Abu Dhabi Government is monitoring this website and would retaliate against Dr Karabus- who it seems is entirely un-connected with this site- for commentary which appears here?