A Victoria woman charged with theft in Tanzania has been granted a small victory, allowed to have her passport back and visit her family on the Island, as her trial drags on for more than a year.
Randal Dunn, 34, was charged with theft after a previous employer in the East African country accused her of stealing 30 million shillings, or about $18,000.
Dunn contends that the owner of the Monarch Hotel and Beach Resort took the money himself to pay off debts and pointed the finger at her when his creditors came after him.
Dunn was arrested in July 2013. Authorities seized her passport and ordered her not to leave the country.
After a court appearance on Thursday, with her mother, Olivia, by her side, Dunn was told she could have her passport back. In exchange, the prosecutor added a list of additional witnesses he would like to call, to which her lawyer did not object.
“But it is a giant step forward and small steps back,” her mother said in an email.
Dunn’s father, Lyn Dunn, said the whole family is elated that she gets to come home for a visit in October.
“I haven’t seen her for a year,” Lyn Dunn said, noting it’s been that long since he flew to Tanzania to bail his daughter out of jail after her arrest.
Lyn Dunn said legal proceedings have been expensive and tiring for his daughter, who every month has to fly 1,000 kilometres from her home in Arusha to Mwanza, where the trial is being held.
Dunn’s lawyer explained that in the Tanzanian justice system, it’s not uncommon for criminal trials to drag out over two years.
“It’s all been sort of nonsensical,” Lyn Dunn said. “But their legal tradition seems to be to play this out to the nth degree.”
Lyn Dunn said most of the witnesses have had little solid evidence of any wrongdoing or theft.
“Even the accuser [her former employer] was made to look very foolish upon questioning by her lawyer because it’s all an incredible bunch of lies,” Lyn Dunn said.
Randal Dunn has been living in Tanzania for eight years and runs a charity called African Leaders of Tomorrow, which pays education fees for children who have lost their parents to AIDS.
“The whole thing has been tough on Randal, but the kids are thriving,” Lyn Dunn said.
He said his daughter is eager to put the criminal case behind her so she can carry on with her charitable work in Tanzania.
