Family members said to buy houses and cars on a daily basis
Three family members have been arrested over the N$315-million Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) diamond heist, as the authorities probe sudden wealth, security failures and wider criminal links.
The family members were arrested on Monday in connection with the theft of diamonds from Namdia worth about N$314.9 million in January.
George Cloete, his wife Charmaine Cloete, and his brother Bino Cloete have allegedly been buying houses and cars on a daily basis, which drew the attention of authorities, leading to their arrest.
The police say the trio were suspected of dubious dealings after they started withdrawing large sums of cash on a daily basis.
"The subsequent lifestyle and financial investigations revealed that since the end of January, several items were acquired, including vehicles, trailers, personal electronic devices, clothing, household equipment, and mechanical equipment.
Documentary evidence relating to the purchase were also seized," their report says.
The assets bought include a Ford Ranger Wildtrak worth N$570 000, a Ford Ranger N$530 000, a Toyota Double Cab D4D worth N$200 000, a Toyota Passo worth N$70 000 and household furniture.
The three also bought a tyre mag changing machine.
THE SECURITY CONNECTION
A relative of the suspects, allegedly a security guard who was present at the diamond heist crime scene in January, is believed to have stolen the diamonds.
The security guard has not been arrested yet.
To date, only N$40.6 million worth of diamonds have been recovered, Namdia spokesperson Beverley Coussement has told Nampa.
The three were denied bail when they appeared in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate's Court yesterday.
They are charged with contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and the illicit trafficking of goods under the Diamond Act.
The matter was postponed to 7 August for further investigation.
"While specific details related to our security improvements cannot be shared for security reasons, significant enhancements have been made to strengthen the company's protective measures.
"Some upgrades were put in place immediately following the incident, while others are being executed with urgency.
In doing so, Namdia followed the Public Procurement Act, which permits Namdia as a public entity to procure services in response to this critical situation," Coussement told Nampa yesterday.
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The Namdia robbery involved the theft of diamonds valued at approximately N$315 million from the state-owned diamond trading company's premises in Windhoek.
The high-profile heist shocked the nation and led to a nationwide manhunt.
The robbery also claimed the lives of Namdia security executive Francis Eiseb and one of the suspects, Max Endjala.
This brings the total number of arrests in the case to six.
This included Sam Shololo and Joel Angula, a protection officer at Namdia, and Samuel Shipanga (33), a security guard at a private company.
All suspects have so far appeared in court.
SUSPENSION
In February this year, Namdia's board of directors resolved to suspend its executive officer, Alisa Amupolo, its chief operations officer Uahoroka Kauta, and security manager Paulinus Sheyapo following the robbery.
The suspension was part of the diamond's company's investigations.
"As part of the ongoing recovery process following the robbery, Namdia is conducting a comprehensive and robust internal investigation to determine the sequence of events leading up to the crime and to prevent any future attempts to breach security.
"We assure you the decision to suspend these team members was not taken lightly. However, the investigation and recovery processes must now run its course," the company said in a statement.
