PG, top cop grilled on Kandara

THE Police and the Prosecutor General’s office came under harsh criticism from a parliamentary committee yesterday for the time they have taken to finalise an investigation into the death of Avid boss Lazarus Kandara.

Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa, who appeared before the parliamentary committee on constitutional and legal affairs, faced tough questions on what the hold-up was in the three months since Kandara allegedly committed suicide while in Police custody. Imalwa said when she first received the inquest docket, she handed it to one of her deputies for scrutiny, but it was found that investigations were incomplete.She said she was forced to return the docket to Police investigators for more information.Imalwa said the docket had been returned two weeks ago, but the results of forensic tests were still outstanding.These were needed to take a decision on how the matter should be handled by a Magistrate.The case was more complex than it might appear to the committee, she said.Imalwa told The Namibian earlier this week that she hoped her office could take a decision on the matter by the end of the month.Kandara shot to prominence in June when he and his company, Avid Investments, were implicated in a botched N$30 million investment of the Social Security Commission.He was arrested after testifying in a High Court hearing and died a few hours later of a gunshot wound on the doorstep of the Windhoek Police station.Police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga who also provided information to the parliamentary committee yesterday, said he was “embarrassed” about what had happened while the Police were responsible for Kandara.He was hesitant to say much about the Police’s investigations into the matter, especially how Kandara had got hold of the gun with which he presumably shot himself, saying the matter was sub judice.Deputy Commissioner Marius Visser, who accompanied Ndeitunga, said the Kandara matter had been investigated by a “competent” and “experienced” detective.He put the delays in concluding the investigation down to the wait for forensic results.Imalwa said when she first received the inquest docket, she handed it to one of her deputies for scrutiny, but it was found that investigations were incomplete.She said she was forced to return the docket to Police investigators for more information.Imalwa said the docket had been returned two weeks ago, but the results of forensic tests were still outstanding.These were needed to take a decision on how the matter should be handled by a Magistrate.The case was more complex than it might appear to the committee, she said.Imalwa told The Namibian earlier this week that she hoped her office could take a decision on the matter by the end of the month.Kandara shot to prominence in June when he and his company, Avid Investments, were implicated in a botched N$30 million investment of the Social Security Commission.He was arrested after testifying in a High Court hearing and died a few hours later of a gunshot wound on the doorstep of the Windhoek Police station.Police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga who also provided information to the parliamentary committee yesterday, said he was “embarrassed” about what had happened while the Police were responsible for Kandara.He was hesitant to say much about the Police’s investigations into the matter, especially how Kandara had got hold of the gun with which he presumably shot himself, saying the matter was sub judice.Deputy Commissioner Marius Visser, who accompanied Ndeitunga, said the Kandara matter had been investigated by a “competent” and “experienced” detective.He put the delays in concluding the investigation down to the wait for forensic results.