Simon Endjala
Windhoek-Members of the Namibian Police’s Serious Crime Investigations Unit are now busy conducting cross-border investigations into the case of a Yemeni man arrested in connection with the execution-style killing of a Malian national in Windhoek in July 2016.
A passer-by at a dumpsite discovered the body of Malian national Gamby Maya, 35, on the night of July 31, 2016 after his killing in the Kleine Kuppe residential area.
Information in respect of the cross-border investigations into the execution-style killing was made public on Monday morning when a key suspect in the matter, Yemeni national Murad Esmail Ali Al-Hersh, made another appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Lüderitz Street.
Public prosecutor Luaren Mabuku disclosed the information about the cross-border investigations in court on Monday when she requested the court to grant the prosecuting authority a further postponement of the case in order to allow the police investigating team to complete their cross-border investigations.
In the result and as per agreement reached in court between public prosecutor Mabuku and the foreigner’s defence lawyer Chauechitte Losper, the matter was remanded to June 15 pending the finalisation of investigations.
The suspected killer Al-Hersh was again on Monday remanded in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility with no option to post bail. The court had already refused to release him on bail at the end of the hearing of his formal bail application on October 11 last year.
Al-Hersh re-appeared before Windhoek magistrate Alweendo Venatius on Monday morning.
Reports by New Era newspaper have it that the 39-year-old Al-Hersh was arrested by members of NamPol’s Serious Crime Investigations Unit in Ongwediva on August 2, 2016 in connection with the deadly hit.
At the time of his arrest Al-Hersh, who lived in neighbouring South Africa before settling in Namibia, was found in possession of more than N$70 000.
The deceased Maya was killed after he allegedly failed to account for US$150 000 (slightly over N$2 million) following the black market conversion of about US$500 000 into Namibian dollars (approximately N$6.8 million).
According to police, Maya was shot once between his eyes while sitting in his green Hyundai Elantra 2014 model, which was later found abandoned in Olympia residential area.