After 17 years attempts are still being made to extradite South African Ann Phyllis McCarthy-Janks to the United States to stand trial on an allegation of conspiring to murder the district attorney of Oregon.
The district attorney had been ordered to investigate certain tax matters in respect of a free love cult of which McCarthy-Janks was a member.
During 1985, the US narrowly missed extraditing her from the Federal Republic of Germany.
She was arrested and later released on bail in Johannesburg pending an extradition hearing which did not take place due to problems with the documentation failing to arrive on time from overseas.
In her attempt to fight the extradition, she has been before the highest courts in South Africa and the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court was this week finally due to hear evidence on whether sufficient facts were available to send her to the US for trial.
The original magistrate and prosecutor were brought to the court but a medical certificate was presented to the court certifying McCarthy-Janks was ill in hospital.
The matter has now been set down for Wednesday. ? Sapa