RUNDU – Two former FNB employees made their second appearance in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges related to the alleged fraud of N$2 million of state funds, following their initial detention on Sunday September 21.
It was alleged the two suspects Kandjilu John Bento, 29, from Kehemu Location and Tuneya Martin Thimuna, 25, from NHE King’s Park in Rundu embezzled over N$2 million belonging to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Safety and Security, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
“It was detected by the auditors of the ministries that the deposit slips they received were stamped with bank date stamps but the money was never processed into the state’s accounts as public funds,” explained Detective Inspector Hendricks Mulele of the Namibian Police.
It was alleged Thimuna embezzled N$683 365 while Kandjilu misappropriated the lion’s share of N$1.9 million.
The two suspects worked at First National Bank (FNB) in Rundu until recently and according to Mulele the two suspects resigned when investigations against them began.
“They resigned when investigations started, the one resigned before the end of August and the other one in early September,” Mulele told New Era upon inquiry on Wednesday.
The two suspects made their second appearance before magistrate Barry Mufana in the Rundu court on charges of fraud and theft and Henock Haindobo prosecuted.
In a separate fraud case, another FNB employee, Du Preez Le-Aldo Franklin, who allegedly embezzled N$42 000 from a pensioner last month also made his second appearance yesterday in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court and his case was remanded to March 19 2015.
Du Preez allegedly helped himself to funds belonging to a pensioner who banks with the FNB Rundu branch.
By John Muyamba