Record robbery case sent to High Court

THE six men charged in connection with a record-setting armed robbery in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek near the end of 2004 were informed on Friday that they are to be put on trial in the High Court.

The six suspects, who are accused of having been involved in a cash-in-transit heist in which a record amount of N$5,735 million was stolen out of a security company vehicle that was on its way from Windhoek to the coast on December 29 2004, have to make a first pre-trial appearance in the High Court in Windhoek on Thursday this week. Making their latest appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday, the suspects were informed that the Prosecutor General had decided that they should stand trial in the High Court on a single count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.With the transfer of their case to the High Court, the indictment that they are set to face at their trial has been made public for the first time.According to the indictment, the prosecution will set out to prove at the trial that Jan Johannes Julius (36), who was the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle that was the target of the alleged robbery, facilitated the heist.The robbery is alleged to have been executed by two of the other charged men.They are Jason Awene (41), who is also known as ‘Kilingi’, and George Jambeinge (36).Julius and another security guard of Fidelity Services Group, Stefanus Iyambo, were transporting N$5,735 million in cash from Windhoek to banks in the Erongo Region on December 29 2004, it is alleged in the indictment.Julius was the driver of the vehicle that he and Iyambo were travelling in.In the indictment the events that are alleged to have taken place after the vehicle had departed from Windhoek are set out: “Just outside Windhoek Accused 1 (Julius) stopped and picked up a hitch-hiker.This was strictly prohibited by the security company.Near Brakwater, the hitch-hiker, Accused 6 (Awene), produced a firearm and started assaulting and strangling Stefanus Iyambo.(Julius) stopped the vehicle, but did nothing to help Stefanus Iyambo who was struggling with (Awene) outside the vehicle.”Accused 2 (Jambeinge) arrived at the scene with another vehicle and instructed (Julius) to open the safes which contained the N$5 735 000.(Jambeinge) and (Awene) then took off with the money using the vehicle originally driven by (Jambeinge).”N$3 383 350 of the stolen money was recovered from motor vehicles belonging to Accused 3 (Benedictus Kasimbingwe) and 5 (Matheus Hauwanga) as well as from South Africa.(Hauwanga) also transported (Awene) across the border to South Africa.While the Namibian Police were looking for (Awene), Accused 4 (Elikana Nghimwena) assisted him to evade arrest.”It is also alleged that all six accused men “acted with common purpose before, during and after the incident”.The amount stolen during the alleged heist is the largest single amount of money yet to have been stolen in an armed robbery in Namibia.Each of the six suspects has already pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances during previous appearances in the Magistrate’s Court.After the first five suspects had all been arrested and charged by early 2005, the Police were still looking for Awene for about another year and nine months, until he was arrested in South Africa’s Northwest Province in early October last year.Awene was returned to Namibia near the end of November last year.He was granted bail of N$10 000 in early July, when he made his third court appearance in the case.His co-accused are all free on bail too.Making their latest appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday, the suspects were informed that the Prosecutor General had decided that they should stand trial in the High Court on a single count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.With the transfer of their case to the High Court, the indictment that they are set to face at their trial has been made public for the first time.According to the indictment, the prosecution will set out to prove at the trial that Jan Johannes Julius (36), who was the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle that was the target of the alleged robbery, facilitated the heist.The robbery is alleged to have been executed by two of the other charged men.They are Jason Awene (41), who is also known as ‘Kilingi’, and George Jambeinge (36).Julius and another security guard of Fidelity Services Group, Stefanus Iyambo, were transporting N$5,735 million in cash from Windhoek to banks in the Erongo Region on December 29 2004, it is alleged in the indictment.Julius was the driver of the vehicle that he and Iyambo were travelling in.In the indictment the events that are alleged to have taken place after the vehicle had departed from Windhoek are set out: “Just outside Windhoek Accused 1 (Julius) stopped and picked up a hitch-hiker.This was strictly prohibited by the security company.Near Brakwater, the hitch-hiker, Accused 6 (Awene), produced a firearm and started assaulting and strangling Stefanus Iyambo.(Julius) stopped the vehicle, but did nothing to help Stefanus Iyambo who was struggling with (Awene) outside the vehicle.”Accused 2 (Jambeinge) arrived at the scene with another vehicle and instructed (Julius) to open the safes which contained the N$5 735 000.(Jambeinge) and (Awene) then took off with the money using the vehicle originally driven by (Jambeinge).”N$3 383 350 of the stolen money was recovered from motor vehicles belonging to Accused 3 (Benedictus Kasimbingwe) and 5 (Matheus Hauwanga) as well as from South Africa.(Hauwanga) also transported (Awene) across the border to South Africa.While the Namibian Police were looking for (Awene), Accused 4 (Elikana Nghimwena) assisted him to evade arrest.”It is also alleged that all six accused men “acted with common purpose before, during and after the incident”.The amount stolen during the alleged heist is the largest single amount of money yet to have been stolen in an armed robbery in Namibia.Each of the six suspects has already pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances during previous appearances in the Magistrate’s Court.After the first five suspects had all been arrested and charged by early 2005, the Police were still looking for Awene for about another year and nine months, until he was arrested in South Africa’s Northwest Province in early October last year.Awene was returned to Namibia near the end of November last year.He was granted bail of N$10 000 in early July, when he made his third court appearance in the case.His co-accused are all free on bail too.