Charged top Policemen to hear fate this week

TWO top-ranking Police officers who were charged with theft in March and who are still reporting for duty may have that luxury stripped from them by the end of this week.

The Police’s Complaints and Discipline Unit said yesterday that they were awaiting recommendations from the magistrate overseeing disciplinary committees held with regard to the Police’s Special Branch Commanding Officer Lottinelomba Uusiku and Finance Division Commanding Officer Joseph Kamati. The two men stand accused of losing an unspecified amount of money that was brought into the care of the Police and was meant to be paid over to Treasury at the Ministry of Finance.This is said to include subsistence and travelling funds (S&T), informants’ claims and bail money.The Commanding Officer for the Complaints and Discipline Unit Hubert Mootseng told The Namibian yesterday that his office was expecting an answer from the presiding magistrate before Thursday, and that suspensions seem eminent.”Under normal circumstances we would expect a result as such.We’ve stated our case and they’ve done the same.But it rests on the presiding officer to say whether there is enough grounds to suspend them or not,” he said.Asked about complaints that the two men were allowed to continue work while it was their employer who laid the criminal charges against them, Mootseng said that there was no chance of them interfering with investigations.”The guys were removed from their offices,” he said, although both were still reporting for duty.The two men return to court on August 1.Meanwhile, a third high-ranking Police officer, the Regional Commander for the Hardap Region, Bollen Sankwasa, was also charged with theft two weeks ago.Sankwasa was charged in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on May 24 with stealing petrol from the Mariental Police Station.Mootseng said yesterday that Sankwasa would also face a disciplinary hearing next week, the outcome of which will determine whether he will face suspension.He returns to court on August 8.The two men stand accused of losing an unspecified amount of money that was brought into the care of the Police and was meant to be paid over to Treasury at the Ministry of Finance.This is said to include subsistence and travelling funds (S&T), informants’ claims and bail money.The Commanding Officer for the Complaints and Discipline Unit Hubert Mootseng told The Namibian yesterday that his office was expecting an answer from the presiding magistrate before Thursday, and that suspensions seem eminent.”Under normal circumstances we would expect a result as such.We’ve stated our case and they’ve done the same.But it rests on the presiding officer to say whether there is enough grounds to suspend them or not,” he said.Asked about complaints that the two men were allowed to continue work while it was their employer who laid the criminal charges against them, Mootseng said that there was no chance of them interfering with investigations.”The guys were removed from their offices,” he said, although both were still reporting for duty.The two men return to court on August 1.Meanwhile, a third high-ranking Police officer, the Regional Commander for the Hardap Region, Bollen Sankwasa, was also charged with theft two weeks ago.Sankwasa was charged in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on May 24 with stealing petrol from the Mariental Police Station.Mootseng said yesterday that Sankwasa would also face a disciplinary hearing next week, the outcome of which will determine whether he will face suspension.He returns to court on August 8.