The State’s case against Abner Mateus

Abner Mateus For more than a decade, former police officer Abner Mateus has repeatedly found himself at the centre of criminal investigations, ranging from robbery and forgery to fraud and, most recently, allegations that he masterminded the murder of Ondangwa control prosecutor Justine Shiweda.

As his nephew, Petrus Shikwaya, fights for bail in the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court, weeks of testimony have revealed a string of pending cases against Mateus dating back to 2013.

Prosecutors allege that a fraud investigation involving millions of dollars gradually escalated into a campaign to obstruct justice, culminating in the fatal attack on Shiweda.

Mateus has denied all the allegations against him.

According to court records and previous police investigations, Mateus, a former police officer, who was reportedly eventually fired, has been implicated in multiple crimes over the years.

A decade-long trail

Police have confirmed that Mateus has eight pending criminal cases across Namibia, none of which has resulted in a conviction to date.

More than five of the cases are registered in the Oshana region, police said, while another was logged in Khomas. Two were opened in 2012 and another two in 2013.

In 2013, he was arrested in the Oshana region on allegations of armed robbery, housebreaking and kidnapping while still serving as a police officer.

Two years later, he appeared in court again, this time alongside Albertus Kahembe, Lukas Nekwiyu and David Oiva Johannes, after the four were arrested for allegedly attempting to rob a Chinese businessman at Oshikango.

Police alleged that Kahembe and Nekwiyu had posed as police officers, while Mateus and Johannes were dressed in civilian clothing. The four were charged with attempted robbery, impersonating police officers and driving a vehicle fitted with false number plates. All four were denied bail while investigations continued.

These cases have since been consolidated and are before the Ondangwa Regional Court, where Mateus is expected to appear again on 5 November.

More than a decade later, Nekwiyu has resurfaced as a co-accused in Shiweda’s murder. The State has alleged that a Suzuki vehicle was intended as a reward for Nekwiyu for allegedly procuring the acid used in the attack on the prosecutor.

The defence disputes this allegation.

In 2021, Mateus was arrested again after police allegedly found him in possession of forged documents while driving without a valid driver's licence.

He was accused of carrying a forged Anti-Corruption Commission appointment certificate, a fake force number, and documents bearing the alleged forged signature of then inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga. Investigators further alleged that he was found with another person's bank statement, which they believed was intended for use in a fraud scheme.

These earlier cases now provide the backdrop to the State's case against the alleged serial offender.

In the current case, prosecutors allege Mateus orchestrated a N$2.1 million Sanlam fraud syndicate before embarking on a series of attempts to derail a 2022 criminal case against him, in which he is alleged to have defrauded a retired Namibia Defence Force (NDF) colonel of about N$70 000. Police say this separate case registered at Omuthiya involving the pensioner is the matter investigators believe ultimately led to the alleged plot to murder Shiweda, after she repeatedly denied him bail

Mateus has told the court he has been in custody since November 2022, having been denied bail.

Maintains innocence

The State's case suggests an increasingly desperate and violent campaign to stop the case against him.

According to police detective Chief Inspector Antonius Gabriel, since his incarceration, Mateus has allegedly attempted to persuade the complainant to withdraw the fraud case, tried to bribe Shiweda to make the docket disappear, recruited police officers to steal the docket, and even planned to burn the office where it was kept.

When those alleged attempts failed, State prosecutor Yeukai Kangira claims, Mateus recruited others, including his nephew Shikwaya, to murder Shiweda.

The prosecution further alleges that Mateus used relatives and associates to move money, registered cellphone numbers and bank accounts in Shikwaya's name, and instructed his nephew to make payments on his behalf while he was in custody.

The State says it is in possession of cellphone records and banking transactions, which it argues link Mateus, Shikwaya and other accused persons before and after the attack on Shiweda.

Mateus has rejected every aspect of the State's case, describing the attack on Shiweda as “barbaric” and telling the court he would never wish such an ordeal on any family.

"I am not a murderer. I am not in the business of murdering people. I have never murdered anyone," Mateus testified in court.

He claimed he had no reason to want Shiweda dead, as he was preparing to defend himself in court.

"I was ready to prove my innocence," he said.