Liebenberg to preside over Teko fraud trial
A new judge has been appointed to preside over the trial of two Namibians and a Chinese national arrested in 2009 for alleged fraud of over N$120 million at the finance ministry.
The three are Namibians Teckla Lameck and Jerobeam Mokaxwa, and Chinese national Yang Fan.
This trial is now set to start afresh before High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg, following an order by the Supreme Court last month that Acting High Court Judge Maphios Cheda be recused from presiding over the trial.
Liebenberg on Thursday informed the accused during a pre-trial conference of case management review that he is now the presiding judge of their case.
He told the accused that the defence lawyers comprising Sisa Namandje and Kadhila Amoomo, as well as State Advocate Dominic Lisulo, will meet with him on 27 July to decide upon a new date for the start of the trial.
On 19 June, Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb, with Judges of Appeal Elton Hoff and Dave Smuts concurring, allowed the recusal of Cheda.
The matter was then sent back to the Windhoek High Court for their trial to start afresh before another judge.
Damaseb, in agreement with the other two judges, said the apprehension of bias by the appellants was that of reasonable individuals and that such apprehension was based on reasonable grounds.
On 14 November 2014, Cheda dismissed the trio's application for his recusal after which Namandje took the matter to the Supreme Court.
All three accused face 18 charges of fraud.
Lameck, a former Public Service Commission member; Mokaxwa, Lameck's business partner in the Teko Trading company; and Yang have denied all 18 charges of fraud with not guilty pleas at the beginning of their trial in April 2014.
The two Namibians are free on bail of N$50 000 each, while Yang is free on bail of N$1 million.
They were arrested on 8 and 9 July 2009 by officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission in connection with a scam through which the Ministry of Finance bought security scanning equipment from a Chinese company.
NAMPA
The three are Namibians Teckla Lameck and Jerobeam Mokaxwa, and Chinese national Yang Fan.
This trial is now set to start afresh before High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg, following an order by the Supreme Court last month that Acting High Court Judge Maphios Cheda be recused from presiding over the trial.
Liebenberg on Thursday informed the accused during a pre-trial conference of case management review that he is now the presiding judge of their case.
He told the accused that the defence lawyers comprising Sisa Namandje and Kadhila Amoomo, as well as State Advocate Dominic Lisulo, will meet with him on 27 July to decide upon a new date for the start of the trial.
On 19 June, Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb, with Judges of Appeal Elton Hoff and Dave Smuts concurring, allowed the recusal of Cheda.
The matter was then sent back to the Windhoek High Court for their trial to start afresh before another judge.
Damaseb, in agreement with the other two judges, said the apprehension of bias by the appellants was that of reasonable individuals and that such apprehension was based on reasonable grounds.
On 14 November 2014, Cheda dismissed the trio's application for his recusal after which Namandje took the matter to the Supreme Court.
All three accused face 18 charges of fraud.
Lameck, a former Public Service Commission member; Mokaxwa, Lameck's business partner in the Teko Trading company; and Yang have denied all 18 charges of fraud with not guilty pleas at the beginning of their trial in April 2014.
The two Namibians are free on bail of N$50 000 each, while Yang is free on bail of N$1 million.
They were arrested on 8 and 9 July 2009 by officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission in connection with a scam through which the Ministry of Finance bought security scanning equipment from a Chinese company.
NAMPA
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