Following the arrest of about 150 foreign nationals and three locals, the court has set the trial date.
The foreign nationals were arrested for alleged illegal gambling activities, which were believed to have been carried out at Castle Hotel, Madlenya House, Forbes Reef and Woodlands.
Their case was co-joined with that of X-Win Directors Ncobile Mncina and Ntuthuko Fakudze, who recently got bail at the High Court.
The nationals arrested at Madlenya House were remanded in custody until April 23 pending trial on May 29.
Meanwhile, those arrested at Forbes Reef were remanded in custody until April 30 pending trial on May 8, which also applied to those arrested at Castle Hotel.
The nationals face several charges including contravening the Immigration Act, the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention) Act No. 6 of 2011 and the Gaming Control Act.
Unlike previous court appearances, this time around they were transported to court in correctional service trucks and a van.
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The vehicles were under heavy guard, just like earlier appearances where dozens of suspects were brought before court at once.
The city’s central business district briefly came to a standstill as heavily armed His Majesty’s Correctional Services officers escorted the suspects to and from the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court.
Several HMCS vehicles with sirens blaring formed part of the convoy transporting the accused.
Correctional services vans temporarily blocked sections of the road to allow the trucks carrying the suspects to pass through.
Motorists and pedestrians were forced to slow down or stop between the court building and the remand centre.
The heavy presence of HMCS officers attracted the attention of members of the public, many of whom gathered outside the court precinct to witness the arrival and departure of the suspects.
Some onlookers were seen taking pictures while others discussed the unfolding developments surrounding the arrests.
