Junias Fillipus sues Govt for N$2,7 m

JUNIAS Fillipus, who was arrested in connection with the rape and murder of schoolgirl Magdalena Stoffels in 2010, wants close to N$3 million from the Namibian Government.

He sues the Minister of Safety and Security and two Police officers for N$200 000 for alleged wrongful and unlawful arrest and for doing so without a warrant and without reasonable and probable cause of suspicion on July 27 2010.Furthermore, Titus Ipumbu, Fillipus’s lawyer, alleges that he was charged wrongfully and maliciously between July 27 and 30.Stoffels was a 17-year-old pupil at Dawid Bezuidenhout High School when she was raped and murdered in a riverbed near the Windhoek College of Education in Khomasdal.According to Ipumbu, the two Police officers who charged Fillipus, Sergeant Stephen Amatundu and Warrant Officer Moses Snewe, did not have enough evidence and should have known that there was no case at face value.Allegedly wrongfully detaining Fillipus for 291 days resulted in him suffering damages amounting to N$2 million, Ipumbu charges.During his detention, Fillipus had to make various appearances in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura. This, Ipumbu says, humiliated Fillipus to the tune of N$250 000. These allegedly malicious court proceedings led to damages amounting to a further quarter of million Namibia Dollars, court documents indicate.Should the court eventually grant Fillipus’ claim of N$2,7 million, Ipumbu wants it to also order that the ministry and the two Police officers pay interest of 20 per cent from the day of the ruling until the final amount is settled.Ipumbu also asked that they cough up the costs of the lawsuit.It is understood that they will oppose the application.The charges against Fillipus were withdrawn on May 13 2011 following a lack of evidence against him.Khomas Regional Deputy Commissioner Silvanus Nghishidimbwa yesterday evening said the Police investigation continues. ‘At this stage, we cannot say much, but investigators are hard at work.’Asked whether a new suspect has been identified, Nghishidimbwa said: ‘That one is a crucial point. I don’t want to dwell on that one.’