Fraud accused denied bail over N$40m

A woman facing charges of fraud and money laundering involving an amount of N$40 million was refused bail in a ruling delivered in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court at Katutura yesterday.

The magnitude of the fraud that Marlien Conradie (36) is accused of shocks the conscience of the community, magistrate Enzah Karigus remarked in her bail ruling.

Karigus said the court took into account that Conradie is a mother of a baby born in April last year, and said her personal circumstances had to be balanced against the gravity of the charges she is facing.

The magistrate also noted that according to Conradie her family is facing financial hardship and her husband has lost his employment as a result of the criminal charges she is facing.

Karigus concluded that Conradie has failed to show that the interests of justice and the public would be served by granting her bail.

Conradie has been held in custody since her arrest near the start of November last year.

In the charges against her, the state is alleging that she defrauded the company Western Investments Namibia of N$40 million from 2016 to 2025 by pretending that she had been paid money by the companies Onguma Safari Camps, Onguma Nature Reserve, UWM Mineral Processing, Namib Mineral Development Company, Vordu Logistics and Investment Services and Fishers Pan Nature Reserve, and by paying N$40 million into her personal bank accounts.

UWM Mineral Processing obtained a provisional High Court order in terms of which Conradie’s estate was declared bankrupt in June last year. The provisional order was confirmed and Conradie’s estate was placed under a final order of sequestration in July.

The High Court was informed that Western Investments Namibia is a holding company of a group of companies of which Conradie was employed as financial manager.

The chief financial officer of Western Investments Namibia, Abraham Collard, informed the court in a sworn statement that alleged theft from companies in the Western Investments Namibia group was discovered at the end of April last year during an audit.

During the audit, it was noticed that two payments by Vordu Logistics and Investment Services in January last year had been made into a bank account belonging to Conradie, Collard related.

During subsequent investigations, it was discovered that Conradie had been unlawfully transferring money from the accounts of companies in the Western Investments Namibia group to three bank accounts in her own name since January 2016, and that those payments totalled about N$41.3 million, Collard alleged.
The method used by Conradie was to substitute bank account details of vendors or suppliers of companies in the Western Investments Namibia group with her own bank account numbers before payments were made, Collard claimed.

An investigation of Conradie’s bank account records showed she spent money lavishly, making numerous payments for what appeared to be luxury goods, the court was informed as well.

Her employment with the Western Investments Namibia group of companies was ended in May last year. At that stage, her monthly remuneration was about N$77 000, Collard said.

Conradie’s husband, Jan-Hendrik Conradie, was charged as the second accused in her case in December. He was granted bail in an amount of N$10 000 on 7 January.

Conradie has to make her next appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on 26 January.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.