Staff Reporter
THE Windhoek Magistrate Court, has on Monday postponed the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) fraud case to 12 July 2023 for final Investigation.
This is after, the State indicated that they are still awaiting the finalization of 12 additional counts which are still being investigated.
Martin Eugen Smith and Vabiola Shirley Aoses, employed as administrative for the funds stand accused of transferring about N$17.8 million into more than 40 accounts, after entering fraudulently into the GIPF’s payments system.
Four more persons linked to the fraud case, Kelly Mckanne, Jo-Ann Lawrencia Adams, Recories Shultz, and Dankie Gamachas appeared alongside the two GIPF employees last week, in the latest court date.
In the matter presided over by Magistrate Jozanne Klazen, Public Prosecutor, Rowan van Wyk said,” Investigations are still underway, 12 additional counts are being investigated. We have agreed to 12 July 2023 for further investigations, it may be the final remand date agreed too,”.
The alleged fraudulent activities commissioned by Smith and Aoses were unearthed after a tip-off from the GIPF’s Otjiwarongo office on 6 July 2022.
This followed an inquiry that was made by a certain Jessica Gowases who claimed that she did not receive her children’s pension for the 2019 school calendar.
Upon investigation, the fund unearthed that a host of payments were made to several accounts which do not belong to the annuitants or beneficiaries of the fund.
To date, the Prosecutor General, Martha Imalwa has frozen three bank accounts, held at Standard Bank Namibia, Stanlib Namibia Unit Trust Management Company and Capricorn Asset Management, that are registered in the name of Smith and that hold close to N$5 million.
These accounts, according to the prosecutor general, held proceeds of the stolen GIPF funds.
