A member of the Namibian Police Force’s (NamPol) Protected Resources Unit (PRU) in the Otjozondjupa Region, who is accused of the alleged theft of a rhino horn placed under his care, secured bail on Thursday.

Magistrate Peingondjabi Shipo granted the 45-year-old Sergeant Salatiel Simon bail of N.dollars 10 000, on condition that the accused does not leave the district of Otjiwarongo without informing police officers involved in the investigations of his case.

“Secondly, you should report yourself in person to the Otjiwarongo Police Station on the last day of the month, as well as not interfere with the investigations or a witness known to you,” said Shipo in the bail ruling.

Shipo granted bail even though the public prosecutor, Advocate Johannes Kalipi who represented the State and his two State witnesses who were brought to court, had pleaded for bail not to be granted to Simon, since police investigations are not completed and that Simon was no longer a trusted police officer.

Public interest and the administration of justice were also mentioned by the State to be grounds for Simon not to be granted bail.

Simon’s privately hired lawyer, Kenneth Siambango reminded the court that refusing to grant bail to Simon would mean punishing him even before the court found him guilty.

His case was then postponed to 24 January 2023.

It is alleged that Simon was given six rhino horns from three black rhinos that were dehorned at a game reserve in the Kunene Region for safekeeping between 30 September 2022 and 03 October 2022.

The sergeant then only booked in five horns in at the Otjiwarongo Police Station, where he kept the five horns in a safe room and failed to provide satisfactory answers when he was questioned on the whereabouts of the sixth horn.

The missing horn weighing 12 kilogrammes, with an estimated value of N.dollars 96 000, was on 01 October 2022 recovered in Angola.

Police investigations continue.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency