Plug pulled on Poca training amid outcry

Office of the Judiciary executive director Bernhardt Kukuri has postponed the remainder of the ongoing Prevention of Organised Crime (Poca) / Anti-Money Laundering training, which was to be conducted at Rundu from 26 to 28 April.

This comes after various lawyers described the training as a threat to the judiciary.

The lawyers raised concerns because the training was organised by the Office of the Prosecutor General (PG) for both magistrates and state prosecutors.

The training series started on 17 April in Windhoek, Oshakati, and Keetmanshoop.

Prominent lawyer Richard Metcalfe earlier this week said “it is absolutely shocking” to learn that the PG’s office is conducting training in this manner.

“How can any member of the public expect fair-minded and just decisions in these circumstances?

Namibia stands on the verge of becoming just another banana republic,” he said.

In a statement released by Kukuri yesterday, he said a meeting was convened between the Office of the Judiciary, the Magistrates Commission, the Office of the PG, and the Law Society of Namibia.

At this meeting, Kukuri said all parties unanimously agreed to reschedule the pending training to allow for further engagement with stakeholders on the best way to proceed.

“The Office of the PG invited wide-ranging actors in the Namibian justice system to attend the Poca training series, however, a misunderstanding of the intended purpose of the training ensued due to a delayed communiqué.

“Henceforth, a multi-sectorial stakeholder consultation will be arranged with a view to discuss modalities for future training for role players in the criminal justice system,” he said.

Kukuri said the platform will also identify areas of possible collective training from the different justice system and subject matter experts from the various sectors. The all-inclusive training will allow participants to share experiences and challenges, as well as practical measures to address challenges.

“The [ofice of the] Judiciary is committed to maintaining the rule of law and upholding its judicial independence in the execution of its mandate,” he said.