Fugitive Malima’s mother, aunt get bail in Namcor case

Two women arrested on charges in connection with alleged fraud and corruption involving the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) have been granted bail after two weeks in police custody.

Martha Antindi (56), the mother of Victor Malima, who is wanted in connection with the Namcor fraud and corruption case, and her sister, Johanna Mundjego (33), were granted bail in an amount of N$50 000 each during an appearance before magistrate Olga Muharukua in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

The state agreed to the granting of bail to Antindi and Mundjego, who are facing charges of dealing with, using, holding, receiving or concealing gratification in relation to an offence, money laundering and theft.

In the charges against them, the state is alleging that they each held a 50% interest in the close corporation Eco Fuel Investment when it received a payment of N$1.5 million from the close corporation Eco Trading between July 2022 and November 2023.

The state is also alleging that the fuel company Enercon Namibia had paid the N$1.5 million into the account of Eco Trading, and that the money was proceeds of unlawful activities, having been fraudulently paid by the Namcor subsidiary Namcor Petroleum Trading and Distribution to Enercon Namibia.

In a sworn statement filed at the court, Antindi denies that she and Mundjego played any active role in acquiring or distributing any funds to anyone.

“We did not have any knowledge of the funds deposited in the bank account of Eco Fuel Investment CC and/or Eco Trading CC and at no time have we performed the role of a paymaster on behalf of anyone or any business entity,” Antindi states. “I was not aware of any funds that were unlawfully obtained and deposited in the bank accounts of an entity I am part of. The same applies to my younger sister,” she also says.

According to Antindi, she and Mundjego delegated all operational, trading and investment responsibilities in respect of the two close corporations to Malima. She further says she and Mundjego occasionally signed bank documents on request of Malima without fully knowing what the authority they signed was about.

“Whenever my son gave me a bank document to sign, I would do so without hesitation because I had no reason to doubt him,” Antindi says. “To this day, both my sister and I did not have an opportunity to confront my son and ask him about the allegations against him and us because we do not know his whereabouts,” she states as well in her affidavit.

On the amount of N$172 000 involved in the theft charge she is facing, Antindi says she believes this is the total amount in financial support she has received from Malima over a number of years.

Mundjego worked as an office administrator for Eco Fuel Investment, and received monthly remuneration ranging between N$3 500 and N$20 000 for her work, Antindi also says in her statement. According to Antindi, she has been advised that an amount of N$1.5 million was wrongly paid by Enercon Namibia to Eco Trading, and that wrong payment prompted the transfer of the same amount to an account of Eco Fuel Investment in July 2022.

Antindi and Mundjego, who are represented by defence lawyer Silas-Kishi Shakumu, assisted by Raimi Nghipondoka and Nadine Shaamena, have to appear in court again with their co-accused on 19 March.

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