Suspects in Multichoice fraud saga in High Court on Thursday

WINDHOEK, 20 JUN- Three persons arrested last year in connection with their involvement in a criminal case in which Multichoice Namibia was allegedly defrauded over N.dollars 2 million, are scheduled to make a first appearance in the Windhoek High Court here on Thursday.
The three accused- Manga Nawa Mukena; 37; Celestino Gabriel Antonio; also 37; and Joseph Mukena (age not given) lastly appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court along Lüderitz Street on 18 May 2018 when their case was transferred from the lower court to the Windhoek High Court.
In addition, it was also ordered on 18 May 2018 that a complete record of the proceedings in the magistrate’s court be forwarded to the Registrar of the Windhoek High Court.
Antonio alongside Nawa-Mukena, a former marketing manager at the television services company, is facing charges of fraud, forgery and uttering a forged document.
All the charges that Antonio and Nawa-Mukena face are in connection with the alleged falsification of about 80 invoices between 01 April 2013 and 17 March 2017 that cost the television company over N.dollars 2 million.
According to the indictment, the two accused allegedly falsified the invoices for advertisements in Kundana (Pty) Limited, knowing fully that the newspaper did not provide advertising services to Multichoice Namibia.
The accused then and by means of false pretence, induced Roger Gertze or Multichoice Namibia to the actual loss of N.dollars 2, 088,071.
It is further alleged that Nawa-Mukena and Antonio presented the invoices for advertising services to the television company for payment, but provided their own bank account numbers as being those of Kundana (Pty) Limited.
Nawa-Mukena and Antonio are free on bail of N.dollars 50,000 and N.dollars 25,000, respectively.
Joseph Mukena, who was only formally added to the case on 18 May 2018, is free on a warning.
The trio previously appeared before Magistrate Liwena Walter Mikiti while Public Prosecutor Tatelo Cuthbert Lusepani represented the State.
Orben Sibeya and Mbanga Siyomuinji are defending the three accused persons.
(NAMPA)