Drug abuse, sexual favours claims emerge in hotel theft bail application

AN Angolan national who allegedly fell victim to a theft in which the equivalent of close to half a million Namibia dollars was stolen from his hotel room in Windhoek a fortnight ago is a general in the Angolan armed forces who claims to have been in Namibia to buy aircraft fuel for his country’s military, according to testimony heard in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court this week.

This evidence came to light in a bail application that has been in progress before Magistrate Elsie Schickerling from Tuesday to yesterday. Windhoek resident Deon Meyer Eiseb (33), who is the second person to be arrested in connection with the theft that is claimed to have taken place at the Safari Hotel in the city on January 16, is applying to be released on bail. Magistrate Schickerling is set to give her ruling on Eiseb’s bail application today.Eiseb’s co-accused in the case, Frieda Agnes Warner (25), is not asking the court to release her on bail at this stage. Even in her absence, she however was the centre of attention for much of the bail hearing – also when claims of drug abuse, sexual favours, a hidden affair and mistreatment at the hands of the Police were made in the course of the proceedings in court.One of the Police officers investigating the case, Sergeant Billy Kamusuvise, told the court on Wednesday that the complaint that the Police received in the matter was that an amount of US$45 000, which is the equivalent of about N$448 000, had been stolen from a room at the Safari Hotel. The Police were told that the money had been in a briefcase, together with three cellphones and an Angolan military uniform, he said.The complainant in the matter was named as Manuel del Fina. The court was told that he is a general in the Angolan armed forces.Kamusuvise testified that during their investigation the Police were told that Warner had been seen in the company of the Angolan complainant on the day before the alleged theft took place. A receptionist at the hotel informed the Police that on January 16, Warner arrived at the hotel, asked for the key to Del Fina’s room, and was allowed to enter the hotel.She was later seen returning to the hotel reception with a briefcase. When she returned the key to the receptionist, she asked that a taxi be called to fetch her. This was done, Kamusuvise said.He related that the taxi driver told the Police that Warner asked him for a sharp object while they were driving away from the hotel. After he had stopped his taxi, she got a tool from the car’s boot and used this to break open the briefcase that she had with her, the taxi driver told the Police, Kamusuvise said.According to the taxi driver, Warner paid him US$200 for his services, and also exchanged US$100 into local currency at a restaurant near the Windhoek Railway Station, Kamusuvise told the court.The taxi driver eventually dropped her off at a house on Shanghai Street in Katutura, the police established. This is the house where Eiseb stays, it is claimed.It is also claimed that Warner had the briefcase with her when the taxi driver last saw her at that house.Warner was arrested on January 18. Kamusuvise related that she took Police officers working on the case to a lodge in Windhoek where she had spent the two previous nights. In the room where she had stayed at the lodge, the Police found two jackets that Eiseb subsequently acknowledged belonged to him, the court heard.In the pockets of one of the jackets the three cell phones that had been in the same briefcase as the money were found.The money is still gone, though.Eiseb is denying having any knowledge about the theft. He told the court that, while he is a father of seven children who is in a fixed relationship with the mother of two of his children, he and Warner have also been having an affair.He told the court that he spent the weekend from January 16 to 18 with Warner at the lodge.,On a question from his lawyer, Bradley Basson, on whether he knew anything about a problem that Warner may have with drug abuse, Eiseb told the court that he knew that she was using drugs, and that he also knew where to get drugs for her.Basson also asked both Kamusuvise and another Police officer involved in the investigation, Warrant Officer Eslad Jamuine, whether they knew anything about sexual favours having been exchanged between Del Fina and Warner. Both Policemen answered that they did not know about that.Jamuine testified that according to Del Fina, the money that was stolen belonged to the Angolan military. Jamuine said the Police were informed that Del Fina was in Namibia on a mission to buy fuel for aircraft of the Angolan military.Del Fina also claimed to the Police that he had declared the money that he had in his possession when he entered Namibia, but he has so far not been able to produce documentary proof that he had adhered to this legal requirement of declaring the foreign currency in his possession, the two Policemen testified.On the first day of the bail hearing Basson told the court that Warner, who is also being represented by him, had reported that she was tortured by Police officers involved in the matter. Basson told the court that she complained being tortured to such an extent that she wet herself. She was also handcuffed in a contorted stance, with injuries to her wrists bearing evidence of this treatment, he claimed.Eiseb has been in custody since January 20. He was arrested after he went to the Police in the company of his lawyer, Basson, after hearing that Police officers were looking for him.The prosecution, which is represented by Public Prosecutor Petrus Grusshaber, is opposing the granting of bail to Eiseb. – werner@namibian.com.na