The trial of a former Windhoek-based prosecutor accused of colluding with an accused to illegally scrap criminal charges from the court’s system was postponed to September.
Former prosecutor Anthony Wilson and co-accused Kennedy Kasume made an appearance in the Windhoek Reginal Court yesterday where they were informed that the commencement of their trial has been postponed to 1 September. The trial was scheduled to start yesterday.
According to magistrate Alexis Diergaardt, she recused herself from the case last year and a new presiding officer is yet to be appointed to deal with the trial.
Kasume’s lawyer Henry Shimutwikeni who recently started representing him only got the docket’s disclosure yesterday and is yet to familiarise himself with the details of the case.
Wilson is expected to be tried on 10 charges, ranging from theft of a charge sheet, corruptly using his office for personal gain, fraud by misrepresenting the magistrate and corruptly using false documents.
The prosecution decided to prosecute Kasume for conspiring with another person to commit the offence of using an office or position to obtain gratification. The charges according to the prosecution stem from February 2005 at the time when Wilson was a public prosecutor, stationed at the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court. The prosecution is alleging Wilson used his position, having access to police criminal dockets, to steal a charge sheet. It is alleged he withdrew criminal charges levelled against Kasume.
In pretence, Wilson informed magistrate Vanessa Stanley in a court session that the complainant in Kasume’s case had written a letter of withdrawal, stating he wanted to have the charges against Kasume withdrawn. It is further alleged he did the same thing in the case of Alex Kagasheka, who had opened a case against Kasume.
Wilson convinced the police to release Kasume’s motor vehicle that was repossessed by the police as an exhibit. Using the same pretence, Wilson was allegedly able to have criminal proceedings of theft against Kasume discontinued by having the Namibian Police discontinue the docket for reasons it was a civil matter. Wilson resigned as a public prosecutor in 2016.
He and Kasume have been on bail since 2016. Local lawyer Jan Wessels is representing Wilson for his trial. -mamakali@nepc.com.na