Teko Trio trial remanded to next year The fraud trial of three accused involving two Namibians and a Chinese national which has become known as Teko Trio, was yesterday postponed to 25 January next year.Judge Christie Liebenberg postponed the matter to that date pending the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling on the appeal against the dismissal of their application for the recusal Acting High Court Judge Maphios Cheda.
Cheda dismissed the application for recusal by Teckla Lameck, 48 and Jerobeam Mokaxwa, 30, as well as Chinese national Yang Fan, 39, in a judgment he handed down in the High Court on 14 November 2014.
The appeal application by the three accused persons is still pending in the Supreme Court and consequently Judge Christie Liebenberg postponed the case pending the appeal ruling.
The three are alleged to have defrauded the Ministry of Finance in 2009 of some N$120 million in dubious means.
In the fraud and corruption trial, Lameck, a former Public Service Commission (PSC) member; and Mokaxwa, Lameck’s business partner in the Teko Trading Company, have denied all 18 charges of fraud.
The two Namibians are each out on N$50 000 bail, while Yang was granted bail worth N$1 million.
The accused were arrested on July 8 and 9 in 2009, by the Anti-Corruption Commission in connection with the alleged scam through which the Ministry of Finance bought security-scanning equipment from a Chinese company.
State Advocate Shakwa Nyambe appeared for the prosecution while Windhoek-based defence lawyer Sisa Namandje represents the accused.
FRED GOEIEMAN