Police investigating officer, Chief Inspector Oscar Sheehama, on Friday confirmed the arrest and said the suspect was picked up in Windhoek last Wednesday.

Sheehama declined to release details, claiming it would "jeopardise" the Police investigation.

But The Namibian has since established that the suspect is Angolan national, Adriano Manuel Jose (28).

He made a brief appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on Friday on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering.

The case was postponed to October 10 for further investigation.

Jose remains in Police custody.

Sources confided to The Namibian that the Police originally picked up two Angolan men in connection with the fraud scandal, but Sheehama insisted that only one person was arrested.

The investigating officer did not rule out the possibility of more arrests.

"Although it is very ... early for me to comment on whether more people will be arrested, that possibility cannot be ruled out," Sheehama said.

At the beginning of this month The Namibian disclosed that for years many Angolan students had used fake Grade 12 qualifications to study at Unam.

Some are believed to have already obtained degrees without first completing high school.

Dozens of others are still studying at the tertiary institution.

At the time, sources pointed to the existence of a shady syndicate, allegedly comprised of Angolan nationals and some Unam staff, who allegedly sell fake Angolan 'matric' certificates with inflated pass marks to facilitate access to Namibia's premier tertiary institution.

The university management later conceded that some of its staff had probably colluded with outsiders and immediately launched its own internal investigation.

Sources recently informed The Namibian that Unam's internal investigation has since been extended to students from other countries.

Dozens of Zambian students who completed Grade 12 in 2000 and whose certificates had not yet been released by the Examination Council of Zambia have been sent back home to get them.

Grade 12 certificates in Zambia reportedly take at least two years to be issued, hence students from that country use 'Statements of Results', issued two to three months after the examinations, to register at tertiary institutions.

Unam spokesperson, Edwin Tjiramba, remained tightlipped on the matter, only saying: "The University of Namibia will only be able to comment on any students admission queries once it has completed its internal investigations".

Approached for comment on Zambian students allegedly sent home to fetch their certificates, Zambian High Commissioner to Namibia, Lt General Mumbi, said that Unam had yet to inform him officially that this was the case.

"We know that certificates take long to be processed (in Zambia), normally our students use statements of their results... if there is such a development we will surely follow it up with the university," the diplomat said.

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