An elderly woman accused of stealing more than N$4 million from deceased estates of which she had been appointed as an administrator denied guilt on seven charges in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Martha Dobberstein (78) pleaded not guilty on one count of money laundering and seven charges of theft during an appearance before magistrate Olga Muharukua.
Dobberstein’s defence lawyer, Janita von Wielligh, informed the magistrate that her client would not give any plea explanation to the court at this stage of her case after Dobberstein pleaded not guilty on all seven charges.
The charges are based on allegations that Dobberstein stole money from the estates of five deceased people between October 2023 and December 2025, after she had been appointed as the administrator of the estates.
The state is alleging that Dobberstein stole an amount of N$1.35 million from one estate from the start of 2024 to the end of December 2025.
It is also alleged that she stole an amount of N$875 150 from another estate between June 2023 and April 2025.
The state is further alleging that Dobberstein stole N$770 400 from an estate between the start of January 2024 and the end of December 2025.
Other amounts allegedly stolen from estates by Dobberstein are N$534 000, which is claimed to have been stolen between October 2022 and October 2024, N$238 075 and N$236 200.
A total amount of N$4 006 825 is claimed to have been stolen from estates administered by Dobberstein.
Von Wielligh raised objections about the charges before Dobberstein pleaded not guilty. Dates, amounts, the names of complainants and the crimes alleged to have been committed were not clear in the charges, Von Wielligh said.
She also termed some of the charges as “overlapping” and “ambiguous”.
However, public prosecutor Edel Upindi said the charges were preliminary counts and that they had been drafted correctly.
Following Dobberstein’s pleas, Muharukua postponed the matter to 9 October to await the prosecutor general’s decision about the charges she would face at a trial and the court in which they would be prosecuted.
Dobberstein was arrested near the end of March last year. She was granted bail in an amount of N$10 000 during her first court appearance, two days after her arrest.
