RDP takes issue with Govt over ‘political witch-hunt’

THE Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) has described election fraud charges against two of its top members as a ‘political witch-hunt’ and condemned the Prosecutor General’s action to ‘charge them through the media without first issuing them the summons’.

Philemon Kanime, former Director of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), and two others have been summonsed to appear in court next month on a charge of alleged election fraud. It apparently relates to preparations in February 2008 for the municipal election at the newly proclaimed town of Omuthiya.’RDP has noted with regret media reports attributed to the Office of the Prosecutor General that it has decided to charge two RDP National Executive Committee (NEC) members, Philemon Kanime and Magnus Nangombe, with election fraud,’ the party’s spokesperson Jeremiah Nambinga said on Friday. When The Namibian contacted Kanime on Saturday, May 16, he had not even received the summons yet. The legal document was hand-delivered to him the next afternoon.The other RDP executive member is Magnus Nangombe, who allegedly appeared fraudulently on the voters’ roll for Omuthiya, and Nico Mingelius, an ECN official. They are accused of having allegedly ‘forged an application for registration as a voter … on Form 2004305280 dated February 6 2008,’ according to the summons seen by The Namibian.Kanime was accused of ‘wrongfully, falsely and with intent to defraud, giving out and pretending to the Electoral Commission and/or Government that Accused No 1 [Nangombe] was on February 6 2008 lawfully and properly registered at Omuthiya for the election’. Nangombe and Mingelius are also charged on the same count.All three must appear in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday, June 5.’While RDP respects the due process of the law, it is concerned that the matter has not only dragged on for too long, but it is highly politicised, thereby causing great harm and prejudice to the two members,’ Nambinga said in a statement. ‘We know that the ruling [Swapo] party has been at the throat of Kanime since the registration of RDP, and the decision to prosecute him is nothing other than a political witch-hunt.’Equally, we strongly condemn the approach by the Prosecutor General to charge Messrs Kanime and Nangombe through the media without having first served them legal papers to this effect. To us this is not only a clear violation of human rights, but unprofessional and highly unethical behaviour by the prosecuting authority,’ the RDP spokesperson said.