Mbok case: Only three state witnesses found
Matter drags on over a decade later
Thirteen years after a fraud case against Antonie 'Tony' Mbok and Daniel Nghiwilepo kicked off, it continues to drag on with no end in sight.
Efforts to locate 16 state witnesses to testify in a fraud case have largely yielded no results.
Only three of the 16 witnesses could be found, state prosecutor Taodago Gaweseb told Judge Nate Ndauendapo on Monday.
The fraud case against Antonie ‘Tony’ Mbok and Daniel Nghiwilepo has been dragging on for more than a decade.
Mbok and his co-accused - including Mbok's company - stand accused of 10 charges of fraud relating to cheques with a combined value of around N$3.9 million which the accused allegedly intercepted.
The State claimed the cheques paid into Mbok's company’s account were intended for the ministry of finance.
Another defendant, Veronica Thomas, already pleaded guilty to five charges of fraud in 2010 - at the start of the trial - and was effectively sentenced to eight years in prison.
On Monday, Gaweseb called two witnesses who testified that they submitted two cheques to the ministry. He explained after these testimonies that only one more witness could be located, and that this witness would only be able to testify on Tuesday [yesterday].
Mbok and Nghiwilepo's legal representatives, Boris Isaacks and Silas Kishi-Shakumu, did not object to the application for adjournment. However, they questioned the importance of the remaining 13 witnesses.
Kishi-Shakumu said he wanted to discuss the importance of the remaining witnesses with Gaweseb to determine the value of their contributions.
– [email protected]
Only three of the 16 witnesses could be found, state prosecutor Taodago Gaweseb told Judge Nate Ndauendapo on Monday.
The fraud case against Antonie ‘Tony’ Mbok and Daniel Nghiwilepo has been dragging on for more than a decade.
Mbok and his co-accused - including Mbok's company - stand accused of 10 charges of fraud relating to cheques with a combined value of around N$3.9 million which the accused allegedly intercepted.
The State claimed the cheques paid into Mbok's company’s account were intended for the ministry of finance.
Another defendant, Veronica Thomas, already pleaded guilty to five charges of fraud in 2010 - at the start of the trial - and was effectively sentenced to eight years in prison.
On Monday, Gaweseb called two witnesses who testified that they submitted two cheques to the ministry. He explained after these testimonies that only one more witness could be located, and that this witness would only be able to testify on Tuesday [yesterday].
Mbok and Nghiwilepo's legal representatives, Boris Isaacks and Silas Kishi-Shakumu, did not object to the application for adjournment. However, they questioned the importance of the remaining 13 witnesses.
Kishi-Shakumu said he wanted to discuss the importance of the remaining witnesses with Gaweseb to determine the value of their contributions.
– [email protected]
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