Police reshuffle Namdia heist investigators

The police have allegedly rearranged the officers investigating the Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) diamond heist.
The newly appointed investigators include the head of protected resources, commissioner Barry de Klerk, and the head of the Namibian Police Forensic Science Institute, commissioner Nelius Becker.

The changes were allegedly made to keep the investigative team small and to prevent information leaking to the media.
De Klerk on Thursday would not confirm being involved in the case.

He referred the matter to national police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi.
“The only thing l can say is that l am the head of the unit responsible for special resources,” he said.

This comes after Namdia lost an alleged N$350 million worth of diamonds in a robbery at its head office in Windhoek on 18 January.
Three suspects have been connected to the robbery: Trustco internal and forensics investigation unit chief operating officer Max Endjala, who died during the incident, his cousin Joel Angula, who is believed to be a former police officer, and Sam Shololo.
The robbery also led to the death of Namdia security chief Francis Eiseb (57).

Shikwambi last week confirmed that a task force has been established under De Klerk’s leadership.
“All those who were initially there are still there. Commissioner Becker and team are providing forensic support. That is what it is,” she said.

‘STRONGER INVESTIGATION’

A source says fewer people on the case would strengthen the investigation.
“It does not mean that the investigators who were removed from the case were incompetent.

There just needs to be a small team handling the case for it to be effective. You cannot have six people on the case, but you can work together as a team,” the source says.

According to some police sources, the restructuring means the forensic department would assist with ballistic tests on firearms and post-mortem reports, while the protected resources division would focus on investigating the diamonds that are still missing.
It remains unclear whether the police are also investigating any of the officers removed from the case.

However, according to media reports, deputy inspector general Elias Mutota said the police will investigate the possibility of diamonds going missing from the scene, and will not just investigate the police, but also all those present at the scene on 18 January.

This includes Namdia staff members, Ministry of Mines and Energy officials, private security personnel, emergency medical personnel and onlookers.

ELUSIVE MEDIA CONFERENCE

Namdia and the police promised a joint media conference two weeks ago, but this has still not taken place.
It has been reported that 446 diamond parcels are still missing, with police officials attending the scene allegedly being considered as potential suspects.

Former Namibian Police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga last month told The Namibian that some government officials are in bed with criminals.

He said the robbery could have been made possible through inside information or cooperation with individuals who are well-placed in the company.

“You can see this incident was carefully planned, possibly with individuals who are employees of the company, who may have provided intelligence on the movement of the items inside the company,” Ndeitunga said.