Lawyer accuses state of using media to provoke public anger in Namcor case

Defence lawyer Sisa Namandje has accused the state of deliberately co-opting the media to provoke public outrage against his clients in the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) fraud and corruption case.

Namandje made the remarks in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Monday during a bail hearing of his clients, who were arrested last week in connection with alleged fraud and corruption at Namcor.

Namandje said both the High Court and Supreme Court have held that the state has no business using the media to harass accused persons during arrests or court proceedings.

“In this matter, we will produce evidence backed by case law that the state breached its responsibility in this regard,” Namandje told the court.

He argued that it is not the state’s duty to sensationalise a case or to portray it as more serious than it is, especially in the absence of credible evidence.

Namandje was particularly critical of the state’s announcement that N$480 million was involved in the matter, describing the figure as a fabrication intended to inflame public sentiment.

“The N$480 million announcement by the state and the court is a deliberate move to tag along the public and provoke anger. That number is falsified,” Namandje charged.

He further stated: “The state will not be able to back up this number, not at the bail application and not at the trial.”

Namandje maintained that such conduct by the state not only undermines the integrity of the justice system but also prejudices the accused in the eyes of the public.

The bail hearing is continuing before magistrate Linus Samunzala.

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