Acting prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has secured a property preservation order freezing N$3.5 million held in two bank accounts belonging to Burundian national Asani Niyonzima (26).
Imalwa says the money is linked to drug dealing, money laundering and tax evasion.
The order was obtained following an investigation that began with Niyonzima’s arrest in a cocaine sting in Klein Windhoek.
Imalwa says Niyonzima was arrested on 14 January alongside a Tanzanian national when officers attached to the police’s drug unit, acting on a tip-off, intercepted the men at a parking lot in Klein Windhoek.
Niyonzima was later released on bail in an amount of N$10 000.
Imalwa alleges the officers found 11 doses of cocaine in his possession.
The arrest subsequently triggered a financial investigation which, according to the state, uncovered millions of dollars flowing through Niyonzima’s bank accounts.
In an affidavit, Imalwa says investigators discovered a “sudden influx of cash” into Niyonzima’s primary account, with deposits exceeding N$3.5 million between 2023 and early 2026.
She alleges that the movement of the funds was part of a “layering” mechanism intended to disguise their alleged origin.
Imalwa contends that the transfers created a paper trail resembling a genuine supplier relationship while allegedly concealing “dirty or tainted money”.
Niyonzima, however, has maintained that the money came from legitimate business activities.
BUSINESS EXPLANATION
In a statement to the police, Niyonzima reportedly describes himself as a businessman involved in the resale of clothing and vehicles in Namibia.
The police, however, say financial evidence does not support the scale of business activity described by Niyonzima.
The police say Niyonzima has no business entities registered in his name, is not registered with the Social Security Commission (SSC) and is not registered as a taxpayer with the Namibia Revenue Agency (Namra).
The police further allege that there were no physical premises, staff or licences linked to Niyonzima that would be consistent with a business with an alleged multimillion-dollar turnover.
The police have also focused on the manner in which money was deposited into Niyonzima’s accounts.
According to an affidavit, most of the funds consisted of rounded cash deposits made through automated teller machines.
“These are inconsistent with vehicle trading (typically high-value traceable transfers) but highly consistent with drug-dealing proceeds,” the police say.
“There are reasonable grounds to suspect that the unexplained assets are obtained through unlawful activities and that Mr Niyonzima was using his First National Bank accounts to launder the proceeds of these unlawful acts,” it is stated in an affidavit filed at the High Court.
The investigation also uncovered an alleged tax liability of more than N$1 million.
According to the police, Niyonzima failed to declare and pay tax on sizeable deposits allegedly exceeding N$3.58 million.
“This amounts to tax evasion, which is an illegal act distinct from drug dealing,” the affidavit states.
The police argue that the alleged tax liability further undermines Niyonzima’s explanation that the money was generated through legitimate business activities.
