Professor Cyril Karabus on the brink of getting his passport, flying back to SA, says lawyer.
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Durban - Embattled professor Cyril Karabus, who has been stuck in Abu Dhabi since last August and waiting for his passport so he can come home since April 24, finally looks set to return to South Africa on Tuesday.
That’s according to his lawyer Michael Bagraim, who confirmed on Friday that the South African Consulate in Abu Dhabi had assured the retired paediatric oncologist he would receive his passport on Tuesday, after which he would be free to leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Karabus, 78, has been detained in the UAE since August 16 last year, after being sentenced in absentia for the death of a Yemeni girl he treated for leukaemia in 2002. The professor was first acquitted in March, but has been waiting for his passport since the prosecution lost its appeal against his earlier acquittal on April 24.
Bagraim said he was confident there would be no more postponements after prosecutors dropped their bid for a second appeal.
“On Thursday night we were informed by our attorneys in Abu Dhabi that the prosecutors have decided to drop the second appeal. With that, there should be no more obstacles in getting him home.”
Karabus was expected to receive his passport, along with a letter clearing him to travel, on Tuesday. He would fly out of the country that same evening.
Bagraim said Karabus was very appreciative of the support of the South African Islamic Medical Association and for the assistance of the South African Consulate.
“The consulate is really pulling out all the stops to get him home, and will accompany him to the airport on Tuesday. He has been better since the news, but spends a lot of time resting,” he said.
Karabus is currently staying at a friend’s flat in Abu Dhabi.
He was arrested and his passport seized at the Dubai Airport during a stopover en route to South Africa after attending a family wedding in Canada.
He was sentenced to three years and six months in jail in absentia, on charges of murder and forgery of medical documents. He spent two months in jail during his trial.
Karabus’s name has also been removed from a UAE computer system listing the names of people convicted of a criminal offence. - Independent on Saturday