The journalists are accused of forging a letter from Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila that was supposed to help open doors for them in Namibia.

The two, American citizen Shilah Overmyer, who is 22 according to the Police, and British national Manjinder Sohal (24), appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on Friday on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering.

They were arrested on Wednesday.

With their first court appearance on Friday, Magistrate Sarel Jacobs told them they would remain in custody over the weekend, with their next turn in court set for today.

On Friday, sources indicated, the Board of Directors of the State-owned Namibia National Reinsurance Company (NamibRe), which is the complainant in the case against Overmyer and Sohal, decided that it would not withdraw the charges it laid against the duo.

What is claimed to have landed the two journalists in the situation they are in, is a letter of introduction that Finance Minister Kuugongelwa-Amadhila had written for them in mid-July.

On August 1, it is alleged, the letter helped them bag a 22 750 euro (N$170 546) advertisement, an eighth of a page in size, from NamibRe in a supplement on Namibia that European Business Report has been working on for the German newspaper Die Zeit.

The letter handed to NamibRe's Acting Managing Director, Ben Nashandi, had however been altered from the form in which Kuugongelwa had signed it.

The Minister's letter had been addressed in general terms to "Dear Sirs", before introducing the European Business Report team, explaining that they were working on an economic survey on Namibia and asking that they be given assistance in order to promote Namibia as a business and investment location.

The letter handed to Nashandi had been changed to appear that the Minister had addressed it to him personally, it is charged.

Similarly changed letters were handed to other company heads in Namibia contacted by the duo, sources with knowledge of the case indicated on Friday.

According to the sources, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila became aware of the alleged forgeries when people who received the letters contacted her to report that they had received the personal introductions that she had addressed to them - but which she however then did not know about.

Overmyer and Sohal are being legally represented by Mel Harmse.

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