Namugongo to stay put – for now

ENVIRONMENT Ministry official Sackey Namugongo, arrested on fraud charges on Sunday, made a brief appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday but will remain in the Police holding cells until at least Friday.

His case was postponed for further investigation. Namugongo is the Deputy Director of Wildlife Management in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and has worked with gambling licences since July.Magistrate Kauna Shilemba told him he could apply for bail on Friday.Namugongo was arrested by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officials and the Police at the Windhoek International Airport on Sunday as he returned from a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.It is alleged that he issued fake gambling licences.The Director of the ACC, Paulus Noa, said it was suspected that Namugongo could be part of a network of people who allegedly issued unauthorised gambling licences to individuals and companies.Noa said it was alleged that Namugongo repeatedly made several copies of the same document and issued gambling licences bearing the same number to many people.Noa said the ACC would oppose Namugongo’s bail application, as they feared he would interfere with their investigation.According to the ACC chief, the illegal sale of gambling licences had gone on for some time and could involve a considerable amount of money.Noa appealed to people who have been issued with gambling licences to approach the ACC or the Police with information related to the scam.It is alleged that licences were sold for around N$100 000 each, with an estimated N$1 million paid for licences over the last three months.Illegal gambling has largely been attributed to a situation in which only those who want to operate a gambling house need a licence.Suppliers of slot machines are not required to have a licence to buy or supply the machines.This has meant that anyone can buy a slot machine and supply it to a venue, whether the venue is licensed for gambling or not.Namugongo was represented by lawyer Rodgers Kauta while Public Prosecutor Petrus Grushaber acted on behalf of the State.Namugongo is the Deputy Director of Wildlife Management in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and has worked with gambling licences since July.Magistrate Kauna Shilemba told him he could apply for bail on Friday.Namugongo was arrested by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officials and the Police at the Windhoek International Airport on Sunday as he returned from a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.It is alleged that he issued fake gambling licences.The Director of the ACC, Paulus Noa, said it was suspected that Namugongo could be part of a network of people who allegedly issued unauthorised gambling licences to individuals and companies.Noa said it was alleged that Namugongo repeatedly made several copies of the same document and issued gambling licences bearing the same number to many people.Noa said the ACC would oppose Namugongo’s bail application, as they feared he would interfere with their investigation.According to the ACC chief, the illegal sale of gambling licences had gone on for some time and could involve a considerable amount of money.Noa appealed to people who have been issued with gambling licences to approach the ACC or the Police with information related to the scam.It is alleged that licences were sold for around N$100 000 each, with an estimated N$1 million paid for licences over the last three months.Illegal gambling has largely been attributed to a situation in which only those who want to operate a gambling house need a licence.Suppliers of slot machines are not required to have a licence to buy or supply the machines.This has meant that anyone can buy a slot machine and supply it to a venue, whether the venue is licensed for gambling or not.Namugongo was represented by lawyer Rodgers Kauta while Public Prosecutor Petrus Grushaber acted on behalf of the State.