Eveline de Klerk
Walvis Bay-The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) manager for Walvis Bay Airport, Chrizelda George, was arrested on Tuesday at the airport.
The 32-year-old George stands accused of abusing her power as a manager when she allegedly stopped a customs and excise official from searching a fellow NAC employee upon arrival on Friday.
It is not clear whether the NAC employee in question was arriving from a domestic or international flight.
The law requires all persons to be searched upon arrival and departure except VIPs such as the president and first lady, vice-president, prime minister, who are usually received or seen off at the airport by protocol officers.
Unhappy customs officials on Friday allegedly questioned George about her behaviour, which resulted in a confrontation during which she allegedly also grabbed an NAC access card from one of them.
An emergency meeting was then held on Friday shortly after the incident so that George could explain herself but she allegedly refused to do so.
This resulted in customs and excise laying a charge against her on Tuesday, leading to her arrest the same day.
Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu confirmed the case to New Era yesterday morning saying that George was charged under the Customs and Excise Act of 1998.
An enquiry at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court revealed that George was granted bail of N$3,000 after her legal representative, Richard Metcalfe, arranged so with the control public prosecutor, which avoided her being detained.
She made her first appearance in court yesterday and the magistrate John Sindano postponed the case to August 24 on request of the public prosecutor, Tresia Hafeni, to obtain outstanding statements.