Bakondja loses lawyer

THE hiatus in the trial in which serial escapee Bakondja Katjiuongua faces 17 charges – including counts of kidnapping, robbery and attempted murder – is set to stretch to close to two years at least, after the Windhoek Regional Court was informed yesterday that Katjiuongua’s defence lawyer was withdrawing from the case.

Having lost the services of his defence counsel, Unanisa Hengari, Katjiuongua will now have to apply to the Directorate of Legal Aid to be provided with another defence lawyer. As a result, his trial, which was supposed to resume before Magistrate Gert Retief yesterday, has been postponed – again – to September 29.The last proper proceedings in the trial took place in late October 2004, when Public Prosecutor Belinda Wantenaar closed the State’s case in the prosecution against Katjiuongua (27) and brothers James Isaacks (32) and Lawrence Isaacks (27).Since then, the matter has been postponed repeatedly, with Katjiuongua having been ill on some occasions and at other times having asked for more time to prepare to present his case to the court.Bakondja and the Isaacks brothers all pleaded not guilty on all charges when their trial started in the last week of October 2004.By the end of that week, though, just before Wantenaar closed the State’s case and the trial was postponed, Hengari changed Katjiuongua’s plea to one of guilty on the three charges of escaping from custody that he faced.He is further charged with a count of theft of a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, and reckless or negligent driving.In addition, Katjiuongua and the two brothers are together charged with a count of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three counts of kidnapping, and two counts of attempted murder.On the escape charges, Katjiuongua was accused of escaping from Police custody on September 6 and October 21 2000 and again on March 1 2001.It was after the last escape that his and the Isaacks brothers’ paths allegedly converged.While Katjiuongua was on the run from the Police for three months after that last escape, he and the Isaackses allegedly carried out five armed robberies, stealing a vehicle on each of those occasions during March 2001.In three of those robberies, taxi drivers are alleged to have been the victims.They were also allegedly kidnapped when they were forced at gunpoint into the boots of their vehicles.With the other two alleged robberies, the owners of the vehicles were allegedly shot at, resulting in the attempted murder charges.When he carried out the three escapes from custody, Katjiuongua was under arrest on a host of fraud and theft charges.These were mostly related to allegations that he had committed theft and cheque fraud by unlawfully using cheques belonging to his father, former National Assembly member Moses Katjiuongua, and former political parties that were led by Katjiuongua Snr, during shopping excursions in 2000, when Katjiuongua was still 21 years old.Katjiuongua was eventually convicted in April this year on 27 counts, including 25 charges of fraud, in connection with that first case.Having already spent most of five and a half years in custody before that case was finalised, Katjiuongua was sentenced on May 2 to a further four years in prison.He is now serving that term while awaiting the continuation of his second Regional Court trial.The Isaacks brothers are both free on bail.As a result, his trial, which was supposed to resume before Magistrate Gert Retief yesterday, has been postponed – again – to September 29.The last proper proceedings in the trial took place in late October 2004, when Public Prosecutor Belinda Wantenaar closed the State’s case in the prosecution against Katjiuongua (27) and brothers James Isaacks (32) and Lawrence Isaacks (27).Since then, the matter has been postponed repeatedly, with Katjiuongua having been ill on some occasions and at other times having asked for more time to prepare to present his case to the court.Bakondja and the Isaacks brothers all pleaded not guilty on all charges when their trial started in the last week of October 2004.By the end of that week, though, just before Wantenaar closed the State’s case and the trial was postponed, Hengari changed Katjiuongua’s plea to one of guilty on the three charges of escaping from custody that he faced.He is further charged with a count of theft of a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, and reckless or negligent driving.In addition, Katjiuongua and the two brothers are together charged with a count of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three counts of kidnapping, and two counts of attempted murder.On the escape charges, Katjiuongua was accused of escaping from Police custody on September 6 and October 21 2000 and again on March 1 2001.It was after the last escape that his and the Isaacks brothers’ paths allegedly converged.While Katjiuongua was on the run from the Police for three months after that last escape, he and the Isaackses allegedly carried out five armed robberies, stealing a vehicle on each of those occasions during March 2001.In three of those robberies, taxi drivers are alleged to have been the victims.They were also allegedly kidnapped when they were forced at gunpoint into the boots of their vehicles.With the other two alleged robberies, the owners of the vehicles were allegedly shot at, resulting in the attempted murder charges.When he carried out the three escapes from custody, Katjiuongua was under arrest on a host of fraud and theft charges.These were mostly related to allegations that he had committed theft and cheque fraud by unlawfully using cheques belonging to his father, former National Assembly member Moses Katjiuongua, and former political parties that were led by Katjiuongua Snr, during shopping excursions in 2000, when Katjiuongua was still 21 years old.Katjiuongua was eventually convicted in April this year on 27 counts, including 25 charges of fraud, in connection with that first case.Having already spent most of five and a half years in custody before that case was finalised, Katjiuongua was sentenced on May 2 to a further four years in prison.He is now serving that term while awaiting the continuation of his second Regional Court trial.The Isaacks brothers are both free on bail.