Roland Routh

Former technical director at the Electoral Commission of Namibia Milton Louw who was accused of stealing five laptop computers from his employer and selling them, was found not guilty and cleared yesterday in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court.

Magistrate Vanessa Stanley found that the State represented by public prosecutor Emma Mayavero did not provide sufficient evidence to put Louw on his defence after his lawyer Dirk Conradie lodged an application for a section 174 discharge after the State closed its case.

In the application, Conradie argued that no evidence was presented during the trial to compel the applicant (Louw) to take the stand and testify on his own behalf.

Magistrate Stanley agreed with Conradie and found that the evidence presented was not enough to compel Louw to be put on his defence. She subsequently dismissed all the charges against him.

He was facing charges of theft, fraud, money laundering and perjury for allegedly stealing five laptops in December 2019.

The laptops in question were part of the equipment used in the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.

According to various news reports at the time, Louw claimed that he removed the laptops in an attempt to expose wide-reaching election fraud by unknown people who tried to tamper with that year’s national elections.

Louw has denied any wrongdoing.

His employment contract was not renewed upon its lapse at the ECN and while he was on suspension over the alleged theft.

At the time, Namibian Police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Kauna Shikwambi said the five laptops were recovered from a second-hand goods retailer in Windhoek.

Louw was free on bail of N$4 000 and his bail money was refunded to him.

- rrouth@nepc.com.na