Fraud suspects to plead
Nineteen people accused of defrauding the government of N$114 million will plead before the Windhoek Magistrate's Court next month.
Nineteen people arrested in December 2015 for alleged tax refund fraud involving about N$114 million are scheduled to plead to the charges in June.
The 16 Angolans and three Namibians made another appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday. The case was postponed until 21 June. The 16 Angolans are Lukau Nestor, Benvindo Momafuba, Pembele Zimutu, Paulo Kiala, Joaquim Pedro Espanhol, Joao Manuel Dos Santos, Tatiana Luquena Muchadu Gonga, Carlos Victor Eliseu, Isaac Cativa Cupessala, Paquete Americo Kapayola Jose, Eugenio Pio Do Amaral Gourgel, Malakias Tomas Rufine, Paulino Manuel Natal, Carlos Feliciano Tchinduku, Miapa Aurelio Nelson and Lucio Cazembe.
The three Namibians are Joshua Kaviyu Hidinwa, Mamsy Mweneni Hilma Nuuyoma and Noa Naukosho.
Hidinwa, Nuuyoma and Naukosho are listed as accused number one, number two and number 19, respectively. The accused were arrested by investigators attached to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at the end of December 2015. The group allegedly defrauded the government of about N$114 million through the finance ministry over a few years prior to their arrest. Some of the accused were arrested at the Ministry of Finance's Value Added Tax (VAT) Office in Ausspannplatz, Windhoek, while trying to claim tax refunds. It is reported that a tax refund agent who collaborated with the ACC called the Angolans to collect their cheques at the VAT office and that resulted in their arrest. The arrests were a result of protracted investigations by the ACC at the request of the ministry into cases where VAT receipts were forged in order to claim refunds from the Receiver of Revenue. The ACC investigated the group's activities for a period of two years from early January 2014 to the end of December 2015. The Angolans are held in police holding cells at the Windhoek Police Station after they were refused bail following formal bail applications they brought before court. The Namibians are free on bail of between N$10 000 and N$50 000. The 19 are each charged with a count of conspiring to commit fraud, forgery and uttering; and a count of corruptly using false documents and a charge of corruptly giving a false document to an agent of the company Aveshe Consultancy – which manages value-added tax (VAT) refunds on behalf of the Ministry of Finance.
Windhoek-based defence lawyers Orben Sibeya, Titus Mbaeva, Mbushandje Nhinda, Kalundu Kamwi, Vetu Uanivi, Christian Nambahu, Ray Rukoro and George Neves are representing the accused. The prosecutor in the case is Laura Mabuku and Magistrate Sebby Alweendo Venatius is presiding.
NAMPA
The 16 Angolans and three Namibians made another appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday. The case was postponed until 21 June. The 16 Angolans are Lukau Nestor, Benvindo Momafuba, Pembele Zimutu, Paulo Kiala, Joaquim Pedro Espanhol, Joao Manuel Dos Santos, Tatiana Luquena Muchadu Gonga, Carlos Victor Eliseu, Isaac Cativa Cupessala, Paquete Americo Kapayola Jose, Eugenio Pio Do Amaral Gourgel, Malakias Tomas Rufine, Paulino Manuel Natal, Carlos Feliciano Tchinduku, Miapa Aurelio Nelson and Lucio Cazembe.
The three Namibians are Joshua Kaviyu Hidinwa, Mamsy Mweneni Hilma Nuuyoma and Noa Naukosho.
Hidinwa, Nuuyoma and Naukosho are listed as accused number one, number two and number 19, respectively. The accused were arrested by investigators attached to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at the end of December 2015. The group allegedly defrauded the government of about N$114 million through the finance ministry over a few years prior to their arrest. Some of the accused were arrested at the Ministry of Finance's Value Added Tax (VAT) Office in Ausspannplatz, Windhoek, while trying to claim tax refunds. It is reported that a tax refund agent who collaborated with the ACC called the Angolans to collect their cheques at the VAT office and that resulted in their arrest. The arrests were a result of protracted investigations by the ACC at the request of the ministry into cases where VAT receipts were forged in order to claim refunds from the Receiver of Revenue. The ACC investigated the group's activities for a period of two years from early January 2014 to the end of December 2015. The Angolans are held in police holding cells at the Windhoek Police Station after they were refused bail following formal bail applications they brought before court. The Namibians are free on bail of between N$10 000 and N$50 000. The 19 are each charged with a count of conspiring to commit fraud, forgery and uttering; and a count of corruptly using false documents and a charge of corruptly giving a false document to an agent of the company Aveshe Consultancy – which manages value-added tax (VAT) refunds on behalf of the Ministry of Finance.
Windhoek-based defence lawyers Orben Sibeya, Titus Mbaeva, Mbushandje Nhinda, Kalundu Kamwi, Vetu Uanivi, Christian Nambahu, Ray Rukoro and George Neves are representing the accused. The prosecutor in the case is Laura Mabuku and Magistrate Sebby Alweendo Venatius is presiding.
NAMPA
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