Windhoek
Two of the four men arrested two years ago for allegedly setting fire to one of the offices at the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court were granted bail on Friday.
Dankie Jessaya Naukosho and Isack Ndeulita Naukosho were each grated bail of N$20 000 with reporting conditions. Kadhila Amoomo from Sisa Namandje & Co represented the two men when they appeared in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court.
They were granted bail after new facts pertaining to the delay in the matter were presented to the magistrate.
Joseph Kudumo Amutenya and Chifundo Alick Phiri were not granted bail.
They are facing charges of arson and obstruction of justice in connection with the incident which occurred on November 5, 2013. They allegedly set fire to the typist’s office. No valuable documents or police dockets were destroyed in the blaze.
The //Karas Regional Commander, Commissioner Armas Shivute, was quoted as saying after the incident that it is suspected that Amutenya and Phiri were hired by one of the Naukosho brothers to burn down the office in an effort to destroy police dockets dealing with the case in which he (one of the Naukosho brothers) faced a charge of theft for allegedly stealing a diamond.
The typist’s office was attacked a day before one of the accused was to be sentenced in the N$500 000 diamond theft case.
However, none of the criminal dockets were harmed as they were kept in a safe.
The accused was subsequently fined N$100 000 or four years imprisonment if he defaults on the payment of the fine.
A further four-year jail term was suspended conditionally for five years.
Office furniture, a fax machine, computers and files were destroyed in the arson attack.
The two accomplices have allegedly not yet been paid for their part in the arson attack.
A container smelling of petrol was found on the scene, as well as a hat belonging to one of the arsonists.
There were also signs that one of the suspects had rolled on the ground, indicating that his clothes may have caught fire.