Hardap fraud case postponed

THE case against two senior Swapo officials accused of embezzling money from the Hardap Regional Council is to be heard in the Mariental district magistrate’s court, despite the Council having withdrawn the charges against them.

Charges were laid against the councillor for the Mariental Urban constituency, Petrus van Zyl, last month. He was accused of misappropriating N$9 500 from the Constituency Development Committee (CDC) fund.The charges were brought shortly after Van Zyl registered a similar case against Swapo District Co-ordinator Francis Basson for allegedly embezzling N$7 000 from the same account.The Hardap Crime Investigating Co-ordinator, Inspector Jacobus Theron at the Mariental police station, confirmed last week that the complainants had withdrawn their charges against both officials.According to Theron, the case of Basson is on the court roll for 6 October.Thereafter, pending the judgement of the Mariental District Magistrate, both cases will be forwarded to the Prosecutors General’s office for a final decision.The Hardap Regional Governor, Pieter Boltman, told The Namibian that the Regional Council had agreed to withdraw the charges if Van Zyl and Basson repaid the missing N$16 500.The Namibian has established that the misappropriated money has already been reimbursed.He was accused of misappropriating N$9 500 from the Constituency Development Committee (CDC) fund.The charges were brought shortly after Van Zyl registered a similar case against Swapo District Co-ordinator Francis Basson for allegedly embezzling N$7 000 from the same account.The Hardap Crime Investigating Co-ordinator, Inspector Jacobus Theron at the Mariental police station, confirmed last week that the complainants had withdrawn their charges against both officials.According to Theron, the case of Basson is on the court roll for 6 October.Thereafter, pending the judgement of the Mariental District Magistrate, both cases will be forwarded to the Prosecutors General’s office for a final decision.The Hardap Regional Governor, Pieter Boltman, told The Namibian that the Regional Council had agreed to withdraw the charges if Van Zyl and Basson repaid the missing N$16 500.The Namibian has established that the misappropriated money has already been reimbursed.