NamPol officer charged with killing sons fights for bail

WINDHOEK, 02 JUL – A former Namibian Police Force constable on trial in the Windhoek High Court in connection with the brutal murder of his two sons in April 2014, is now fighting to be released on bail due to prolonged detention.
Albertus !Ganeb, who has been in police custody since his arrest in 2014, is on trial in the High Court’s newly refurbished courtroom at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility for allegedly having stabbed his sons to death at Gobabis.
He returned to the High Court on Monday with a formal bail application asking High Court Judge Dinah Usiku to release him on bail because he has been in custody for too long awaiting the finalisation of the trial, which is still ongoing before the court.
He told the court his constitutional rights are being infringed upon and violated and he feels it is time for the court to grant him bail and release him from police custody.
!Ganeb also wants to be released on bail to raise the needed funds to acquire private legal representation for his appeal case to the Supreme Court against Judge Dinah Usiku, for her refusal to recuse herself from presiding over his double murder trial.
!Ganeb said he has no intention to abscond and will stay in Namibia should the court release him on bail.
He said he will also ask three trial-awaiting prisoners who were in police custody with him at the Hosea Kutako International Airport police holding cells shortly after arrest in April 2014, to tell the court that he harbours no intentions to abscond to evade prosecution once released on bail.
State Advocate Palmer Khumalo strongly opposed the granting of bail on the grounds that !Ganeb lodged the formal bail application while the trial is almost complete and the probability of him absconding is high at this stage.
Khumalo said it would also not be in the interest of the administration of justice to release the accused police officer on bail when the State has already closed its case.
The bail hearing continues on Tuesday.
!Ganeb remains in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility, pending the outcome of the bail hearing.
He suffered a heavy blow on 05 April 2018 when his attempt to have Judge Usiku removed from his trial was dismissed in a ruling handed down by the same judge.
The former police constable felt he did not receive a fair trial with Judge Usiku on the bench.
!Ganeb claimed the judge was protecting the interests of the prosecution by not allowing his former defence lawyer, Boris Isaacks, to properly cross-examine and re-examine a number of State witnesses.
Khumalo, however, argued that there is no basis for !Ganeb to believe his rights to a fair trial were being infringed upon.
He said Usiku disallowing questions posed repeatedly could not be regarded as interference.
!Ganeb allegedly stabbed his sons after he saw a text message from another man on the mobile phone of the children’s mother, Romily Swartz.
(NAMPA)