Staff Reporter
THREE police officers arrested over allegations of solicitation and extortion of foreign nationals made their first appearance in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court.
The accused, Erastus Hashipala, Gilbert Owoseb and Pinehas Ikanda, are constables at the Wanaheda police station.
One of the accused has been the subject of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for quite some time after the commission received a report of some police officers who were demanding money from arrested foreign nationals who did not have legal documents.
Following a thorough investigation, a sting operation was carried out which led to the arrest of Hashipala and Owoseb on 13 January 2022 and Ikanda on 14 January 2022.
The constables, aged 30, 28, and 37, are charged with corruption for contravening the provisions of sections 43 and 46 of the Anti-corruption Act, 2003.
It is alleged that the constables arrested foreign nationals suspected of not having legal documents to live in the country and detained them without any case registered against them.
It is further alleged that the constables demanded payments from the detainees in exchange for their release instead of reporting them to the Immigration Authority.
The constables allegedly solicited between N$1 000 and N$3 000, and close to ten foreign nationals are alleged to have paid bribes through this scheme.
The trio remains in custody and will again appear before the court on 30 March 2022 as an investigation in the matter is yet to be finalized.
The ACC has expressed concern over some government officials, especially law enforcement officers, who occupy positions of trust but continue to misuse these positions and professions to enrich themselves through corrupt dealings.
The ACC further stressed that law enforcement officers are expected to protect and uphold the law and not break it.
