By Agencies
Johannesburg: The South African police have finally broken silence about the extradition of Patrick Kasaija aka Pato, the main suspect in the murder of accountant Susan Magara.
Pato has been on the run ever since Magara was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in February this year. However, after lengthy diplomatic talks between the governments of Uganda and South Africa, he was quietly extradited to Uganda on Wednesday May 15th, 2019, to face kidnap and murder charges in Uganda. Following his extradition, the South African police issued a statement stating thus;
“MEDIA STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
TO: All media
Extradition of PATRICK KASAIJA from SA to the republic of Uganda
Pretoria: 15 May 2019 – The South African Police Service, through the help of the Interpol office in Pretoria, successfully extradited a fugitive on Wednesday who was wanted for a murder he had allegedly committed in Uganda. The Department of Justice from Uganda requested via Interpol that the arrest of Patrick Kasaija aka Patrick Agaba who was believed to be in Johannesburg area, Gauteng be effected. On 7 February 2018 in Uganda, a victim was kidnapped by unknown persons while on her way home from work. The culprits telephoned her family demanding a ransom of one million dollars. The victim’s family paid some of the money but their daughter was not returned.
On 26 February 2018, the body of the victim’s mutilated body was recovered dumped along a road. The Ugandan authority has gathered sufficient evidence which incriminates Mr Patrick Kasaija’s in the kidnapping and murder of the victim. On the 7th March 2018 the fugitive, Mr Patrick Kasaija was arrested by members of the Interpol, Crime Intelligence and the National Investigation Unit at his residential address in Midrand. Mr Kasaija appeared in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on 07th March 2018. However, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development granted an order that he should be extradited to Uganda. The Justice and Correctional Services of the Republic of South Africa, in terms of the Extradition Act, ordered that the fugitive Mr Patrick Kasaija be surrendered to the Republic of Uganda. This extradition was as a result of the good collaboration and cooperation the South African law enforcement agencies and Ugandan authorities. This extradition should be a message to all criminals that they cannot commit crimes elsewhere in the world and use South Africa as a hiding place. For Media Enquiries Brigadier Vish Naidoo Cell: 082 5674153.” Pato is currently detained at the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in Kireka and waits to be arraigned in court to face charges that will be lodged against him when investigations are completed.
