Fraud and corruption suspect Titus Iipumbu is being held in custody after appearing in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on charges linked to a payment of N$3.9 million that was made by the ||Kharas Regional Council in October 2024.
Iipumbu faces charges of fraud, forgery and uttering, acquiring the proceeds of unlawful activities and conspiring to commit offences under the Anti-Corruption Act.
The charges stem from an alleged payment of N$3.9 million meant for the company August 26 Construction that former ||Kharas Regional Council acting chief regional officer Ralph Schachika allegedly authorised to be paid to a third party account of the close corporation Tushiko Investments CC in October 2024.
The state is alleging that Iipumbu and Schachika conspired to pay the amount due to August 26 Construction to the bank account of Tushiko Investments CC, owned by Iipumbu.
August 26 Construction received a tender to build the ||Kharas Regional Council office park and classrooms.
Ipumbu (41) and his mother, Maria Iipumbu (63), surrendered to the Namibian Police on Monday after the arrest of Schachika (50) and his girlfriend, Lucia Jakob (35), at the start of last week.
Public prosecutor Menencia Hinda informed magistrate Lloyd Munyungano on Tuesday that the state considers Titus Iipumbu to be a flight risk if released on bail, that he could interfere with ongoing investigations and witnesses in the matter, and that releasing him would not be in the interest of the public or the administration of justice.
Iipumbu’s mother and Jakob, who also appeared in court on Tuesday, were each granted bail in an amount of N$50 000.
The state is alleging that after the funds were paid into a bank account of Tushiko Investments CC they were transferred to an account of Maria Iipumbu, and that several payments were then made from that account to numerous individuals, including Titus Iipumbu, who received more than N$2 million, while N$700 000 was paid into Jakob’s bank account.
After this, the money allegedly found its way into the bank account of the two-year-old daughter of Jakob and Schachika.
The case has been postponed to 12 March for further investigations to be carried out.
Maria Iipumbu was represented by lawyer Florian Beukes, while Titus Iipumbu was represented by Mbanga Siyomunji and Profysen Muluti represented Jakob.
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