OSHAKATI – The Oshakati Magistrate’s Court has set a date for plea and trial of a schoolteacher accused of attempting to extort N$319 000 from a local businessman.
The accused also faces a charge of trying to bribe a police officer to destroy the docket in the case.
It is alleged that Immanuel Mutikisha, a teacher at Mwesipandeka High School in Ongwediva, was arrested earlier this year and charged by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for contravening Section 38 (8) of 2003, of the ACC Act by attempting to bribe a public official.
Mutikisha allegedly offered N$7 000 to a police officer to destroy the docket for the case of extortion and theft under false pretence brought earlier against him.
Yesterday, Magistrate Mika Namweya postponed Mutikisha’s case to 02 and 03 June respectively while his bail was also extended.
In the first case, the 29-year-old teacher, his girlfriend and a South African national allegedly asked an Ongwediva hotel owner, who is the former employer of Mutikisha’s girlfriend, to pay them N$319 000 for alleged unfair dismissal and sexual harassment.
The businessman became suspicious of Mutikisha who impersonated a Ministry of Labour official and the South African national, who claimed to be a lawyer, when they allegedly demanded N$200 000 in cash and N$119 000 that was to be paid in installments.
The businessman reported the matter to the police, which led to the arrest of the trio.
Sources in the police claimed that a few days after he was arrested for extortion, Mutikisha tried to bribe the police officer to have the docket destroyed because his teaching career was at stake since he was likely to be found guilty in the extortion case.
This prompted the police to set a trap for him.
He was arrested at an Ongwediva roadblock soon after he paid N$1 000 as the first installment of the bribe to the investigating officer under a tree, not far from the roadblock.
By Helvy Shaanika