Johannesburg - The South African government says it will closely monitor court proceedings in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, where Professor Cyril Karabus will appear in court for the second time in the appeal case.
International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister, Marius Fransman, on Monday said government hoped that tomorrow’s court proceedings would not result in further postponement.
The appeal was lodged by the prosecution after an Abu Dhabi court cleared Professor Karabus on all charges of manslaughter and forgery brought against him after the unfortunate death of a young leukaemia patient he treated in Abu Dhabi, 11 years ago.
Karabus, a University of Cape Town emeritus professor and retired paediatric oncologist, has not been allowed to leave the UAE since August last year. He has been in detention since then, after he was arrested in Dubai while in transit.
He was convicted in absentia of manslaughter and falsifying documents after the death of the three-year-old patient he treated while on locum in Abu Dhabi in 2002.
Prosecutors in the UAE were arguing that Karabus failed to give the patient a blood transfusion during her treatment at the Sheikh Medical Centre in 2002.
Throughout the case, which was postponed more than 10 times, Karabus and his lawyers were adamant that the medical record of the patient contained her medical history, notes and lab reports of the young patient, which were all vital in proving his innocence.
The 78-year-old professor was acquitted by an Abu Dhabi court last month but could not come home because UAE prosecutors appealed the ruling.
Expressing grave concern over the anxiety and trauma that the elderly professor has been subjected to since the start of the trail, International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Marius Fransman said it was time for Karabus to be reunited with his family after the prolonged trial.
"The South African government trusts that justice and fairness will prevail in this appeal case, just as it prevailed when the court cleared Professor Karabus of all charges on 21 March 2013," Fransman told the media on Monday ahead of the hearing.
The South African government, he said, respected the sovereignty and independence of the judicial system of the UAE; however, Fransman said the case had dragged on “for too long” and appealed for the legal teams to look at the realities, such as the age and health of the professor.
Despite his deteriorated health, Fransman said Karabus was strong and keeping his composure under the circumstance. The deputy minister last spoke to Karabus last week.
Since the beginning of the trail, Fransman said his department has remained seized by the matter and provided extensive consular services to Karabus and his family.
"Over the past few months, we have taken several actions to ensure a speedy resolution to the case," Fransman said.
Measures taken included interaction between International Relations and Cooperation Minister and her UAE counterpart, as well as traveling to Abu Dhabi to meet with Karabus’s legal team.
The Health Professions Council of SA and other international associations have also called for Karabus's release. - SAnews.gov.za
