State to call last witness in N$3.1bn customs fraud trial
A Namibian court has granted a final postponement in a N$3.1 billion customs fraud trial to allow the state to call an expert witness. The trial involves eight individuals and seven corporate entities facing over 1,500 charges related to money laundering and fraud.
Why it matters
This is a major financial crime case in Namibia, and the court's decision to set a deadline for the state's case highlights the judicial pressure to conclude the lengthy proceedings.
The state has been given a chance to call its last witness to testify in the trial of eight people facing 1 583 criminal charges in connection with an alleged customs fraud scheme involving more than N$3 billion.
A postponement so that the state can call a London-based chartered accountant, Roy Waligora, as a witness in the trial about alleged customs fraud committed between 2013 and 2016 will be the last postponement given to the state, judge Eileen Rakow said after she delivered a ruling in the Windhoek High Court on Monday.
Rakow said she wants the state’s case in the trial, which started in January, to reach its end by the middle of December.
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