Warrant out for Mandela husband

Nelson Mandela's son-in-law is a "fugitive from justice" - evading arrest on a rape charge while rubbing shoulders with Hollywood actors and producing movies such as The Bang-Bang Club and Leon Schuster's Schuks Tshabalala.

This week law enforcement authorities in the US said a long-standing extradition request for Isaac Kwame Amuah had been finalised and served to South Africa for his arrest.

Amuah, 54, is married to Mandela's eldest daughter, Makaziwe. He is wanted in Hartford, Connecticut, on a rape charge that dates from 1993.

On Friday, the Connecticut State Attorney's Office told the Sunday Times that an extradition package had been sent to the US embassy in South Africa.

The wealthy businessman, who has interests in financial services and mining, has been financing movies, one being The Bang-Bang Club . The movie's cast includes Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch.

Amuah initially declined to comment. He later denied any involvement in the films - even though media releases listed him as an executive producer, and this was confirmed by the production company.

Amuah said: "I was never part of the movie. I didn't, I didn't. I'm not involved in that movie. You have an agenda. It's my son who was part of the movies ... and the company involved in that movie."

Amuah, who is a director of several companies, including Invictus Telkoms, ORS Human Capital, and Arengo Exploration, said the rape claim and extradition could affect his business interests.

Asked about the warrant for his arrest and extradition, Amuah said : "Your so-called sources have their own agenda ... they want to hurt me. "

Five years ago, the Sunday Times published a copy of Amuah's arrest warrant and detailed how he was nabbed after being accused of raping an algebra student while an assistant professor at the Manchester Technical Community College in Hartford.

He was charged with rape, two counts of sexual assault and three counts of unlawful restraint. After being granted $10000 bail, Amuah left the US and never returned. His bail was increased to $150000 after he failed to appear in court. A warrant for his arrest was issued in January 1994.

The US authorities believed the Harvard University graduate was living in his native Ghana until May 2005, when they learnt that he had landed a job as director of South Africa's state-run Foundation for Research Development.

While evading the authorities he also served as special adviser to Dr Ben Ngubane, then minister of arts, culture, science and technology.

An application for an earlier extradition request was withdrawn in 2007 after he told US investigators he would travel to the country voluntarily. On Friday, the Connecticut State Attorney's Office said its patience had worn thin after he had promised on numerous occasions since 2005 to voluntarily return.

Correspondence shows that on several occasions, officers from the US State Department, the Connecticut State Attorney's Office, and the Department of Homeland Security had waited for him at JFK International Airport in New York.

Supervisory Inspector Jim Looby said the State attorney's office in Hartford was now more determined than ever to extradite Amuah to face the charges. If extradited and convicted, Amuah could face up to 20 years in jail.

SA police spokesman Colonel Vish Naidoo said he was aware of the extradition request but could not provide information on the matter "at this stage".

US Embassy spokesman Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau said this was an ongoing criminal investigation and she was unable to comment on the specifics of the case. "However, in the case of any extradition, (the US) works in close co-operation with it's host country's legal authorities".

• naidoosu@sundaytimes.co.za