Extradited robbery suspect given bail

CASH-IN-TRANSIT heist suspect Jason Awene, alias Kilingi, who is claimed by the Police to be the key suspect in Namibia’s largest armed robbery case to date, was released on bail of N$10 000 yesterday.

Eight months after he had to be extradited from South Africa to appear before a Namibian court, Awene walked away from the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court holding cells as a free man – for now. The 40-year-old Awene was a fugitive from justice in Namibia for a year and ten months before he was arrested in early October last year in South Africa, where he had allegedly fled following the record-setting robbery that he and five co-accused are charged with.In the months following his return to Namibia at the end of November, he made two appearances in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court under heavy Police guard.Yesterday, with his third court appearance, the prosecution agreed that Awene, who has been described as the ‘mastermind’ behind the robbery, could be granted bail in an amount of N$10 000.Awene and his co-accused will have to appear in court again on November 16.All six accused men have already pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances.They are accused of having stolen N$5,76 million during a highway heist in which a cash-in-transit vehicle that was on its way from Windhoek to the coast with a load of money became the target of a suspected robber gang in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek in the early morning hours of December 29 2004.The alleged robbery is claimed to have been executed after the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle, Jan Johannes Julius (35), who is now the first accused in the case, stopped the vehicle to pick up a hitch-hiker.The hitchhiker is alleged to have been Awene.After he had been picked up, the Police have claimed, he produced a firearm and forced Julius and a security guard who was also in the vehicle to pull off the road.He allegedly also attacked the guard with pepper spray.After the vehicle had come to a standstill, it is alleged, a gang pounced on it and made off with its load of cash.The Police have reported that only some N$3,3 of the N$5,76 million has been recovered so far.This recovery was made through information from Julius.Awene allegedly fled from Namibia, heading to South Africa via Botswana, on January 10 2005.With Awene and Julius in the dock before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba yesterday were George Jambeinge (36), Elikana Nghimwena (34), Matheus Hauwanga and Benedictus Kasimbingwe.They are all free on bail of N$10 000 each.The case against the six men had been postponed in February to yesterday for the Prosecutor-General to decide what charges they should face at their eventual trial, and in which court they would be arraigned.The further postponement to November 16 was necessitated by the Prosecutor-General asking the Police to carry out more investigations, Public Prosecutor Nuncia Sikongo told the Magistrate.According to the investigating officer dealing with the case, these investigations should be finalised by the end of July, Sikongo added.Magistrate Shilemba granted bail to Awene on condition that he reports to the Windhoek Police Station at 08h00 and 17h00 each day, that he surrenders all his travelling documents to the investigating officer and may not obtain new documents while free on bail, and that he may not leave the Windhoek district without the investigating officer’s permission.The 40-year-old Awene was a fugitive from justice in Namibia for a year and ten months before he was arrested in early October last year in South Africa, where he had allegedly fled following the record-setting robbery that he and five co-accused are charged with.In the months following his return to Namibia at the end of November, he made two appearances in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court under heavy Police guard.Yesterday, with his third court appearance, the prosecution agreed that Awene, who has been described as the ‘mastermind’ behind the robbery, could be granted bail in an amount of N$10 000.Awene and his co-accused will have to appear in court again on November 16.All six accused men have already pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances.They are accused of having stolen N$5,76 million during a highway heist in which a cash-in-transit vehicle that was on its way from Windhoek to the coast with a load of money became the target of a suspected robber gang in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek in the early morning hours of December 29 2004.The alleged robbery is claimed to have been executed after the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle, Jan Johannes Julius (35), who is now the first accused in the case, stopped the vehicle to pick up a hitch-hiker.The hitchhiker is alleged to have been Awene.After he had been picked up, the Police have claimed, he produced a firearm and forced Julius and a security guard who was also in the vehicle to pull off the road.He allegedly also attacked the guard with pepper spray.After the vehicle had come to a standstill, it is alleged, a gang pounced on it and made off with its load of cash.The Police have reported that only some N$3,3 of the N$5,76 million has been recovered so far.This recovery was made through information from Julius.Awene allegedly fled from Namibia, heading to South Africa via Botswana, on January 10 2005.With Awene and Julius in the dock before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba yesterday were George Jambeinge (36), Elikana Nghimwena (34), Matheus Hauwanga and Benedictus Kasimbingwe.They are all free on bail of N$10 000 each.The case against the six men had been postponed in February to yesterday for the Prosecutor-General to decide what charges they should face at their eventual trial, and in which court they would be arraigned.The further postponement to November 16 was necessitated by the Prosecutor-General asking the Police to carry out more investigations, Public Prosecutor Nuncia Sikongo told the Magistrate.According to the investigating officer dealing with the case, these investigations should be finalised by the end of July, Sikongo added.Magistrate Shilemba granted bail to Awene on condition that he reports to the Windhoek Police Station at 08h00 and 17h00 each day, that he surrenders all his travelling documents to the investigating officer and may not obtain new documents while free on bail, and that he may not leave the Windhoek district without the investigating officer’s permission.