Carrim's Bail Fight: Five Bags, a Dubai Flight and a Disputed Ticket

Suliman Carrim appearing at the Pretoria Magistrates Court on 16 October 2026. Picture:file

Suliman Carrim returns to court on Monday to continue his bail bid. The row centres on whether he planned to flee or to come back.

Suliman Carrim returns to the Pretoria Magistrates' Court on Monday, 19 October 2026, to continue his bail application. The 49-year-old is charged with contravening the Commissions Act for repeatedly failing to appear at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. The charge is an allegation, and he has not been convicted.

Key facts

Carrim was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday, 15 October, and first appeared in court on Friday.
The court heard he was about to board a flight to Dubai with his wife, and from there planned to travel to Saudi Arabia and then Pakistan.
He says the trip was for what he calls spiritual upliftment, and that he intended to return.
The matter was postponed on Friday so police could verify the authenticity of a return ticket and confirm his residential address.
He spent the weekend in a single cell at Kgosi Mampuru Prison.

The flight-risk argument

The central question in a bail hearing like this is whether an accused person will stay to face the case. The state argues that Carrim, who allegedly ignored several summonses, was leaving the country. He told the court he was not fleeing, and produced a return ticket. Investigators insist he could not produce a return ticket when police asked for one at his arrest, which is why the court wanted the ticket checked.

EWN also reported earlier that Carrim denied fleeing despite travelling with five bags. His lawyers are expected to argue that he has fixed addresses, family ties and every reason to return.

His health and the cross-examination

Carrim's main explanation for missing the commission was ill health. On Friday, he told the court he had been starting to feel better before his arrest, but under cross-examination from state prosecutor Donald Shiko he clarified that he was "trying to get better". Shiko said he would argue that Carrim was changing his version as questioning went on.

Why he matters to the commission

At the Madlanga Commission, Carrim has been placed at the centre of alleged dodgy dealings with alleged crime figures Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and Mswazi Jotham Msibi. The commission has been probing links between organised crime, police and politics. His absence from the witness stand has made him a figure of interest well beyond the courtroom.

The prison where he is held, Kgosi Mampuru, also houses Matlala and dismissed deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, according to EWN.

What this means for you

Commissions have legal force. People summoned to a commission of inquiry must attend, unless they have a valid reason. Failure to do so can lead to criminal charges, as this case shows.

A bail hearing is not a trial. The magistrate decides whether Carrim should stay free while the case continues, weighing flight risk, the risk of interfering with witnesses and the interests of justice. It does not decide guilt.

What happens next

The court will hear arguments on the return ticket and his address, then rule on bail, either on Monday or on a later date.
If bail is refused, he remains in custody while the main case proceeds.