Munyama fraud case draws to a close

FORMER Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) director general (DG) Gerry Munyama will reveal no more than the admissions he made last Monday in his fraud, forgery and uttering trial.

On Friday, Boris Isaacks, Munyama’s lawyer, informed Judge Kato van Niekerk in the Windhoek High Court that he is closing his client’s case without calling any witnesses.
This came after State Advocate Ed Marondedze closed the State’s case in this lengthy trial of Munyama and co-accused Engelbrecht Theodor.
Gerson Hinda, on behalf of Theodor, informed Judge Van Niekerk that he would apply for his client’s discharge, because, according to him, there is no prima facie case against Theodor.
Hinda will lodge the application this morning.
Reuben Ndombo, an Old Mutual share consultant, testified that Munyama, after instructing this company to sell the NBC’s Old Mutual shares, had requested Old Mutual to pay out the shares by cheque as opposed to paying the money directly into the NBC’s bank account. Subsequently, Ndombo testified, ‘cheques were issued in the name of the NBC’ and picked up by Munyama himself.
In a fight about how the process of selling shares works, which ensued during cross-examination by Isaacks, Ndombo maintained that Old Mutual had at no stage phoned Munyama to inform him that the cheques were ready and that he could pick them up. Ndombo said Munyama had phoned him to enquire whether the cheques had arrived. ‘The same day that he (Munyama) called was the same day that he picked up the cheques.’
Also on Friday, Cassius Moetie, who was the corporate communications’ manager at First National Bank (FNB) in 2005, testified that the NBC – ‘through the office of the director general’ – had applied to FNB for a N$50 000 sponsorship for an alleged training workshop for interpreters. Only N$25 000 was approved in the end for the workshop, Moetie told Judge Van Niekerk. ‘Our communication was very, very clear. It was intended for the purpose of training as requested by the NBC.’
Although he does not mention the source of the money, Munyama last week admitted in a statement that he had deposited close to N$350 000 in the NBC Executive Account at Standard Bank which he had opened with a forged NBC board resolution. The State is alleging that this was the money from the FNB sponsorship and from the selling of the Old Mutual shares.
In his statement of admissions, Munyama said: ‘I withdrew or caused to withdraw several amounts from the account between June 3 and November 15 2005 in the total amount of N$100 720.’ He did not say what this money had been used for.
Munyama further said: ‘In addition to the amounts above, I also made out two cheques in favour of Khomas Engineering CC in the amounts of N$97 750 and N$147 000, respectively.’
The State alleges that Theodor, a former member of Khomas Engineering CC, had withdrawn these amounts on the same day that they had been deposited for his and Munyama’s personal use.

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