Windhoek Regional Court has given a last chance to a man, accused of working in cahoots with a former prosecutor to illegally scrape criminal charges from the court system, to find a lawyer.
Magistrate Surita Savage gave Kennedy Thiongo Kasume one month to get a lawyer to represent him during the trial. Savage made it a final remand, as Kasume has had multiple lawyers appear for him in court.
The court postponed the case to 23 October.
Kasume is expected to go on trial alongside former State prosecutor Anthony Wilson.
Wilson, alone, 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.
Kasume is to be tried for conspiring with another person to commit the offence of using an office or position to obtain gratification.
The charges 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complainant in Kasume’s case had written a letter of withdrawal, stating he wanted to have the charges against Kasume withdrawn.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 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 with reasons it was a civil matter.
Wilson resigned as a public prosecutor in 2016.
Both accused persons are on bail in the matter and their bail is extended until their next scheduled appearance in court.
Wilson is being represented by Jan Weasels.
- mamakali@nepc.com.na