Maria Amakali
Windhoek-A former Standard Bank of Namibia employee, who has been in custody for more than 16 months for allegedly defrauding the bank of N$4 million, is still waiting for investigations into his case to be finalised and for the prosecutor general’s decision.
Thirty-four-year-old Winston Manale was charged by the prosecution with fraud in connection with the alleged disappearance of N$4 million from Standard Bank Namibia.
Manale was on the run for a quite a while before he handed himself over to the police after a warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2015. He has been in the holding cells awaiting trial after the court refused to release him on bail, for fear he might abscond due to the seriousness of the offence.
Manale’s defence attorney, Meriam Kenaruzo, conveyed her displeasure with the court this week, stating that the matter has been postponed several times to make room for the investigations to be finalised and for the prosecutor general’s decision, but to no avail.
“It is the third time that the matter is being remanded for the prosecutor general’s decision. We request that it should be made a final remand,” Kenaruzo fumed.
Manale’s case has been postponed several times due to purported incomplete investigations, absent witnesses and outstanding bank statements and in June the investigative officer approached the court to be granted more time to finalise the investigations.
At the time, the investigative officer notified the court that it would only take a month to finalise the investigations.
Manale, who entered a not-guilty plea, is alleged to have used his position while employed at Standard Bank Namibia’s Trust Account division in Windhoek to defraud the bank’s clients by transferring payments from the Trust Fund into his personal bank account.
Manale will make his next appearance in court on September 24 with a new defence attorney, following Kenaruzo’s withdrawal from the case citing a transfer to another jurisdiction.