‘Escapee’ ex-magistrate pushes for bail

A lawyer representing Walter (Rooies) Mostert in his bail application has argued that bail should be granted to his client after the State withdrew a charge related to an alleged escape from custody.Head of investigations and prosecutions at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Phelem Masule, testified in the magistrate&#039;s court in Katutura on Friday that the charge has been temporarily withdrawn against Mostert until the State&#039;s affairs are in order.Despite the withdrawal, Masule testified in court that "it is a fact on record that he [Mostert] escaped from custody." Mostert&#039;s lawyer, Salomon Kanyemba, however, argued that Mostert&#039;s alleged escape is merely an allegation since there is no case.Kanyemba also said several of the State&#039;s witnesses, including the forensic investigator, the late Dr Paul Ludik, have passed away since the case against Mostert was initiated.Protracted proceedingsKanyemba argued that the ongoing delays in Mostert&#039;s criminal case, in which he is standing trial alongside three co-accused, encroach on his client&#039;s right to a speedy trial.Mostert faces charges related to the Anti-Corruption Act, the Immigration Control Act, money laundering, extortion, fraud and attempts to obstruct justice, according to Kanyemba. "Almost three years later, there is still no trial," Kanyemba said, referring to his client&#039;s re-arrest after his escape in 2021.Masule replied: "There are other people who must appear in the trial with him, and they are still waiting too, without bail – that is [Mostert&#039;s] doing... Justice demands that people be tried. He will evade the trial... The speedy handling of a trial depends on various role-players, including himself."Eight years laterMostert was arrested in 2015 on charges related to allegations that he and his co-accused, Joyline Kambatuku, Eveline Meroro, and Joram Salomo, assisted a South African family to obtain Namibian documents unlawfully.Mostert allegedly received N$250 000 as payment.He then allegedly escaped custody when he received medical treatment at the Auas Hills Hospital in Windhoek in November 2021. His criminal trial is expected to continue in April.- irene@republikein.com.na

‘Escapee’ ex-magistrate pushes for bail

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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‘Escapee’ ex-magistrate pushes for bail

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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