Lawyers for alleged Isis affiliates withdraw after non-payment

Lawyers representing three alleged Isis-affiliated accused on trial in SA for double murder have withdrawn their representation of the trio, according to a TimesLIVE report. Sayfudeen Aslam Del Vecchio‚ his wife Fatima Patel and their Malawian boarder Ahmad ‘Bazooka’ Mussa, accused of kidnapping and murdering Cape Town botanists Rodney and Rachel Saunders in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), appeared in the KZN High Court (Durban) where their instructing attorney Yusuf Cassim withdrew his representation after not being paid. It was previously reported that Del Vecchio was attempting to sell properties in Italy to pay their legal fees to Cassim and Advocate Jimmy Howse. The accused had no option but to opt for legal aid representation as a date for pre-trial has been set down for 26 July. The trial itself is set down for 16 August to 17 September. Del Vecchio, Patel and Mussa allegedly kidnapped and murdered the Saunders in February 2018. They also face charges of theft and contravention of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act. Police allege Del Vecchio planned and executed the killings.