Neels Becker to head corruption detectives

ONE of the country’s most feared criminal investigators, retired Police officer Neels Becker, yesterday returned to public service as the Chief Investigating Officer for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Becker retired from the Namibian Police in 2004 after 21 years of bringing to book suspects in some of the country’s most sensational criminal cases. These include what became known as the Florin murder case at Swakopmund, where a German resident at the town was convicted of murdering his wife and then dismembering and cooking her remains in an attempt to hide the crime.Other cases solved on his watch were the killing of a homeless tramp in Klein Windhoek, who was strangled and stabbed to death over a pair of shoes.After leaving the Police force, Becker remained active in solving crimes in his capacity as private investigator, and started Namibian Polygraph Services, making use of his skills as a trained polygraph examiner.The ACC hopes that with Becker leading its team of investigators, it will enjoy the same success as he did during his Police career.Some of the key cases on the ACC’s agenda include the Avid Investment and Offshore Development Company (ODC) scams, which led to a number of resignations when they were uncovered in 2005.”We’re gradually getting to full gear.We’re making good progress, unlike last year,” ACC Director Paulus Noa said yesterday.Noa was speaking at the launch of a booklet, ‘Tackling Corruption’ at the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) in Windhoek.Commenting on the public’s criticism that the ACC is working too slowly to bring to book those involved in the Avid and ODC cases, Noa guaranteed progress in both cases within this month.”We have not dropped these cases, we are just being thorough.We don’t want to rush to court only to have these cases [being thrown out because of] a technical outcome.”Deputy Prosecutor General Daniel Small, also present at the booklet launch, said that the investigation into the ODC case has been split into two sections, one based in Namibia and the other in South Africa.Members of the South African Prosecutor General’s office are scheduled for a series of meetings with their Namibian counterparts here between May 16 and 18, Small said.The case has mainly been held up by jurisdiction issues, he said.”The Avid case will come before court even before the ODC case, but definitely you will see some kind of movement in both these cases within this month,” he said.These include what became known as the Florin murder case at Swakopmund, where a German resident at the town was convicted of murdering his wife and then dismembering and cooking her remains in an attempt to hide the crime.Other cases solved on his watch were the killing of a homeless tramp in Klein Windhoek, who was strangled and stabbed to death over a pair of shoes.After leaving the Police force, Becker remained active in solving crimes in his capacity as private investigator, and started Namibian Polygraph Services, making use of his skills as a trained polygraph examiner.The ACC hopes that with Becker leading its team of investigators, it will enjoy the same success as he did during his Police career.Some of the key cases on the ACC’s agenda include the Avid Investment and Offshore Development Company (ODC) scams, which led to a number of resignations when they were uncovered in 2005.”We’re gradually getting to full gear.We’re making good progress, unlike last year,” ACC Director Paulus Noa said yesterday.Noa was speaking at the launch of a booklet, ‘Tackling Corruption’ at the Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) in Windhoek.Commenting on the public’s criticism that the ACC is working too slowly to bring to book those involved in the Avid and ODC cases, Noa guaranteed progress in both cases within this month.”We have not dropped these cases, we are just being thorough.We don’t want to rush to court only to have these cases [being thrown out because of] a technical outcome.”Deputy Prosecutor General Daniel Small, also present at the booklet launch, said that the investigation into the ODC case has been split into two sections, one based in Namibia and the other in South Africa.Members of the South African Prosecutor General’s office are scheduled for a series of meetings with their Namibian counterparts here between May 16 and 18, Small said.The case has mainly been held up by jurisdiction issues, he said.”The Avid case will come before court even before the ODC case, but definitely you will see some kind of movement in both these cases within this month,” he said.