EDITORIAL: We can’t afford a captured police and justice system
The ongoing bail application of a medical doctor implicated in the shooting and acid attack of Ondangwa-based prosecutor Justine Shiweda has cast fresh light on a troubling pattern that has long unsettled Namibians - the routine granting of bail to serial offenders accused of the most violent and heinous crimes.
For years, police investigators have privately and publicly expressed disbelief at how suspects charged with murder, armed robbery and repeat violent offences manage to secure bail with alarming ease - often weeks after painstaking investigative work leads to their arrest. Investigators have told Namibian Sun that they are rarely called to testify during bail hearings, despite being central to the investigation. The suspicion is that this omission is deliberate - ensuring that no authoritative voice stands in the way of a suspect’s release.
The alleged attempt to bribe Shiweda provides a rare glimpse into how the system is manipulated. She was reportedly offered N$100 000 to refrain from opposing bail for an incarcerated career criminal.
That this occurred in the same month that the Anti-Corruption Commission arrested four police officers for allegedly soliciting bribes from suspects in custody makes the picture even more alarming. According to the allegations, the officers offered to recommend or facilitate bail in exchange for payment.
Under such conditions, Namibians are justified in feeling that their backs are against the wall. When that happens, society is left defenceless.
Bail is a constitutional right, but it was never intended to be a revolving door for repeat offenders or a commodity to be traded in backrooms. Courts must interrogate bail applications with rigour, demand the presence of investigators, and place public safety at the centre of every decision. Where interference, bribery or collusion is suspected, consequences must be swift and severe.
For years, police investigators have privately and publicly expressed disbelief at how suspects charged with murder, armed robbery and repeat violent offences manage to secure bail with alarming ease - often weeks after painstaking investigative work leads to their arrest. Investigators have told Namibian Sun that they are rarely called to testify during bail hearings, despite being central to the investigation. The suspicion is that this omission is deliberate - ensuring that no authoritative voice stands in the way of a suspect’s release.
The alleged attempt to bribe Shiweda provides a rare glimpse into how the system is manipulated. She was reportedly offered N$100 000 to refrain from opposing bail for an incarcerated career criminal.
That this occurred in the same month that the Anti-Corruption Commission arrested four police officers for allegedly soliciting bribes from suspects in custody makes the picture even more alarming. According to the allegations, the officers offered to recommend or facilitate bail in exchange for payment.
Under such conditions, Namibians are justified in feeling that their backs are against the wall. When that happens, society is left defenceless.
Bail is a constitutional right, but it was never intended to be a revolving door for repeat offenders or a commodity to be traded in backrooms. Courts must interrogate bail applications with rigour, demand the presence of investigators, and place public safety at the centre of every decision. Where interference, bribery or collusion is suspected, consequences must be swift and severe.
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Namibian Sun
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