Treason retrial set for Monday
The retrial of seven men facing charges of high treason in respect of the failed August 1999 attempt to secede the Caprivi (now Zambezi) Region from the rest of Namibia, is set to kick-off in the High Court on Monday.
The retrial was supposed to start this week Monday, 15 May, before Acting High Court Judge Petrus Unengu, but could not proceed as scheduled due to a number of unresolved issues between the prosecution and defence teams on how to deal with the case.
As a result of these outstanding issues, the case was remanded until 22 May as per agreement reached between State Advocate Neville Wamambo and the accused's government-sponsored defence lawyers of Ilse Agenbach and George Neves in court.
The seven suspects are Progress Kenyoka Munuma; Manuel Manepelo Makendano; Shine Samulandela Samulandela; Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa; Diamond Samunzala Salufu; Hoster Simasiku Ntombo; and John Mazila Ntambwe.
They are all implicated in a failed attempt to secede the then Caprivi Region from the rest of Namibia on 2 August 1999.
The seven men suffered a legal blow on 22 August 2016 when the Supreme Court dismissed their applications in which they were appealing the dismissal of their joint application, challenging the Windhoek High Court's jurisdiction to try them on high treason charges.
Their appeal applications were dismissed by Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb, with Chief Justice Peter Shivute, Judges of Appeals Fred Chomba and David Smuts as well as Acting Judge of Appeals Yvonne Mokgoro concurring with the ruling.
However, an appeal application by appellant Boster Mubuyaeta Samuele was successful and he was set free that day.
The seven men remain in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility until their next court appearance on 22 May.
NAMPA
The retrial was supposed to start this week Monday, 15 May, before Acting High Court Judge Petrus Unengu, but could not proceed as scheduled due to a number of unresolved issues between the prosecution and defence teams on how to deal with the case.
As a result of these outstanding issues, the case was remanded until 22 May as per agreement reached between State Advocate Neville Wamambo and the accused's government-sponsored defence lawyers of Ilse Agenbach and George Neves in court.
The seven suspects are Progress Kenyoka Munuma; Manuel Manepelo Makendano; Shine Samulandela Samulandela; Alex Sinjabata Mushakwa; Diamond Samunzala Salufu; Hoster Simasiku Ntombo; and John Mazila Ntambwe.
They are all implicated in a failed attempt to secede the then Caprivi Region from the rest of Namibia on 2 August 1999.
The seven men suffered a legal blow on 22 August 2016 when the Supreme Court dismissed their applications in which they were appealing the dismissal of their joint application, challenging the Windhoek High Court's jurisdiction to try them on high treason charges.
Their appeal applications were dismissed by Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb, with Chief Justice Peter Shivute, Judges of Appeals Fred Chomba and David Smuts as well as Acting Judge of Appeals Yvonne Mokgoro concurring with the ruling.
However, an appeal application by appellant Boster Mubuyaeta Samuele was successful and he was set free that day.
The seven men remain in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility until their next court appearance on 22 May.
NAMPA
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