Africa-Press – Namibia. A lawyer representing former agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform minister Mac Hengari has issued a demand to be provided with a copy of DNA test results obtained during the investigation of a rape case involving Hengari as a suspect.
The demand is made in a letter that lawyer Patrick Kauta of the law firm Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc addressed to the control prosecutor of the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
In the letter, Kauta is alleging that Hengari’s arrest was carried out in the presence of a newspaper representative, who was allowed to photograph the scene unhindered, “to embarrass the suspect and influence public opinion and interest”.
A complainant accusing Hengari of rape was also present at the scene of Hengari’s arrest on 26 April, after Namibian Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo had been quoted in the media as having said that the complainant was in a safe house, Kauta says in his letter.
Alleging that the presence of a newspaper representative at Hengari’s arrest showed “police complicity in the commission of a crime”, Kauta states in his letter: “You will agree that in a constitutional democracy such as ours the police should be dissuaded to settle political scores.”
Kauta also says in the letter that the head of the Namibian Police Forensic Science Institute, commissioner Nelius Becker, was present when a warning statement was taken from Hengari on 27 April.
According to Kauta, Hengari queried the status of his DNA results when his warning statement was taken, and Becker informed him: “DNA results are out, and the baby is not yours.”
Kauta says he has instructions from Hengari to initiate a formal bail application urgently.
He has requested the control prosecutor to provide him with the charge sheet of the case in which Hengari was arrested, the grounds on which the state intends to refuse the granting of bail to Hengari, copies of documents and material the state intends to use during a bail hearing, and copies of warning statements and other statements made by Hengari.
Kauta is also demanding that a copy of DNA test results obtained by the police should be provided to him by 16h00 on Wednesday.
Hengari appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on a charge of defeating or obstructing the course of justice last Monday.
His case was postponed to 3 June, and it was ordered that he should be held in custody in the meantime.
Hengari is accused of attempting to pay a bribe of N$230 000 to a complainant accusing him of rape.
The payment is alleged to have been offered in an attempt to persuade the complainant to withdraw a rape case that she opened against Hengari last year.
He was arrested near a restaurant in Windhoek on 26 April, reportedly as a result of a sting operation carried out by the police.
Hengari announced on 27 April that he had resigned as minister.
His announcement was followed by a statement in which the Presidency said president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah had dismissed Hengari from his position on 23 April.
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