“I am the servant of the King”, said Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, telling the media that he is innocent when he appeared in the Magistrate’s court in Kwaggafontein, Mpumalanga.
Sibanyoni appeared with other suspects Mvimbi Daniel Masilela and Philemon Msiza on charges of fraud and two counts of money laundering.
The case against taxi driver Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni became more intense after his lawyer Shaun Abrahams SC who was a former NPA officer, accused the State of not being proactive when he applied to postpone the bail application process.
Prosecutors told the court that the investigation is still ongoing and time is needed to gather evidence. The State also indicated that the bail application may not proceed because the magistrate who was expected to hear the matter was not yet available.
Abrahams opposed this and said that the State failed to prepare properly even though the investigation has dragged on for a long time.
Abrahams also directed the prosecutors to the court, saying that this issue is under section 5 and not 6 of the Criminal Procedure Act. The State was also criticized for not providing the accused’s lawyers with a list of charges
Magistrate J.T. Erasmus asked prosecutors if the list of charges had been forwarded to Abrahams. The State admitted that it did not. Abrahams told the court he needed the warrant to proceed with his bail application.
The court adjourned the matter to Friday.