Sluggish progress in cash heist trial

LITTLE progress has been made in the trial of the six men being prosecuted in connection with a N$5,73 million cash-in-transit robbery near Windhoek at the end of 2004 since its start two weeks ago.

Another attempt to get the trial before Judge Naomi Shivute properly up and running is expected to be made in the High Court in Windhoek today. Having already been interrupted repeatedly since its start on January 19, the trial was postponed again on Wednesday last week – this time to give defence lawyers time to go through Police cell registers that they requested from the prosecution on Monday last week and want to use with the cross-examination of Police witnesses who testify in the trial.The six men on trial before Judge Shivute are facing a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances. Jan Julius (38), Jason Awene (43), also known as ‘Kilingi’, George Jambeinge (39),Mateus Hauwanga (39), Benedictus Kasimbingwe (46) and Elikana Nghimwena (37) are accused of having been involved in a robbery in which N$5,735 million was stolen from a cash-in-transit vehicle in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek on December 29 2004.The six accused men all pleaded not guilty.Julius was the driver of a security company vehicle that was transporting money from Windhoek to the coast when the robbery was carried out. It is alleged that Julius had picked up a hitch-hiker, who is claimed to have been Awene, as he and a colleague departed from Windhoek on their journey to the coast.When the hiker allegedly pulled out a gun and started assaulting Julius’s colleague, Stefanus Iyambo, Julius failed to assist his colleague in fighting off the attack, the prosecution is charging.After Julius had brought the vehicle to a standstill, the hiker sprayed teargas or pepper spray in Iyambo’s face, it is alleged. The prosecution is further charging that Jambeinge then arrived at the scene to help Awene unload money from the back of the cash-in-transit vehicle and to provide him with getaway transport from the scene.Of the stolen money – which was the largest amount in cash yet to have been stolen in a robbery in Namibia – some N$3,38 million was later recovered, allegedly from vehicles belonging to Hauwanga and Kasimbingwe and from South Africa.In the fortnight since the start of the trial, only three of the State’s witnesses have completed their testimony. The fourth prosecution witness, former Namibian Police Detective Warrant Officer Geoffrey Scott, is set to return to the witness stand when the trial continues today.Iyambo has testified that Julius told him that the hiker he was picking up was a friend of his. After the robbery, Julius also indicated to him that the robbers had been friends of his and that they would help to get him and Iyambo released on bail if they were to be arrested, Iyambo said.Iyambo however did not immediately tell this to the Police officers who arrived at the scene after the heist, but instead told the Police that a hitch-hiker had carried out the robbery, it emerged from Iyambo’s testimony when he was being cross-examined by Koos Louw, the Cape Town defence counsel representing Kasimbingwe.The prosecution’s second witness in the trial, Johan Janeke, who was employed by Fidelity Cash Management Services – the company whose cash-in-transit vehicle was targeted in the robbery – at the time of the incident. He told the court that when he arrived at the scene, a shaking and apparently shocked Iyambo told him that he and Julius had picked up a hitch-hiker, although the company’s policy did not allow that.Iyambo also told him that he should ask Julius if he wanted to know what had happened with the robbery, Janeke said.According to Scott, Julius physically attacked the then Commanding Officer of the Serious Crime Unit, Chief Inspector Oscar Sheehama, at the scene when Sheehama was questioning Julius alone.After the attack on Sheehama, Julius was handcuffed and taken to the Serious Crime Unit’s offices in Windhoek for further questioning, Scott said.He told the court that Julius denied that he had anything to do with the robbery.After Julius’s cell phone call records had been obtained, he was confronted with calls that were reflected on the records, and Julius then made certain statements to the Police officers, Scott indicated.With the defence – primarily Louw – having objected to evidence being heard about the statements that Julius allegedly made, a trial within a trial to determine if that evidence is admissible could start before Judge Shivute today.The six accused men are all free on bail.Deputy Prosecutor General Heidi Jacobs is prosecuting. Julius is represented by defence lawyer Jorge Neves, while Sisa Namandje is representing Awene, Jambeinge and Nghimwena and Gerson Hinda is appearing for Hauwanga.The trial is set down on the court roll until February 26.