Banker’s ‘bias bid’ denied

A SENIOR banker nabbed for a R18 million drug bust, saw his application for ’n ander landdros, fail in Cape Town Magistrates Court, on Monday.

Raed Cupido, 40, who was arrested with guns and drugs on 10 June at a storage unit in Roeland Street, brought an application to have magistrate Alida Theart, removed from in saak, because she presided over the bail hearing of alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his vrou Nicole Johnson.

Cupido claimed Theart’s recusal would be in the best “interest of the law”.

Cupido was busted with 15 bricks of cocaine, five 9mm pistols, an AK-47 rifle, and a stash of ammo.

Court documents revealed that, during his arrest, Cupido received a phone call from a former employee of the Stanfields, who allegedly told him to falsely say the drugs belonged to Stanfield and Johnson in exchange for his release.

That same former employee is a complainant in a separate case against the pair, claiming they stole his BMW in 2022.body.copy.bold: Cupido argued that Theart’s link to Stanfield and Johnson’s bail application makes her biased in his case.

But Theart wasn’t convinced and said: “The question is whether or not the court will hear evidence from [this former employee] to corroborate submissions by [Cupido]. The question is what does [Cupido] want Johnson to testify as a witness [for him.]”

She said that asking a magistrate to recuse themselves is a serious issue that can affect the serving of justice and denied the request.

Cupido’s bail hearing was set for 15-16 July.