Former Plan fighter jailed for bank fraud

THE greed that corrupted the values that a former member of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia, Shange Ndadi, once fought for, cost him a fine of N$100 000 and an additional effective two years in jail when he was sentenced on 10 counts of fraud and two charges of attempted fraud yesterday.

With the sentencing of Shange Wedeinge Ndadi, also known as Carlos Ndadi or Carlos Alberto, in the High Court in Windhoek, crimes he committed six years ago made a return to exact a heavy toll on the successful business career that Ndadi had built up in the meantime. Ndadi (45) pleaded guilty to 10 charges of fraud and two counts of attempted fraud when his trial started before Judge Gerhard Maritz on Tuesday.He admitted that between May 11 and July 15 1999, he took part in a fraud scheme in which dormant bank accounts at Bank Windhoek were targeted.The bank was hoodwinked into either transferring money out of those accounts into accounts belonging to Ndadi or to which he had access, or into posting automated teller machine cards for the dormant accounts to a post office box Ndadi had rented.In the process, Ndadi told the court in a written plea explanation, he and his partner in the scheme shared the money that they managed to siphon from the targeted accounts.In all, just over N$88 000 was withdrawn from the accounts.According to Ndadi’s plea explanation, a friend and business acquaintance, Erastus Noddy Himotha, first approached him in late 1998 with the idea of setting up and implementing the scheme.Himotha died in August 1999.Ndadi said that Himotha told him that he had received information about a number of dormant Bank Windhoek savings accounts.Himotha also had access to examples of the account holders’ signatures, which he and Ndadi then used on faxes they sent to the bank to either instruct it to transfer money out of the targeted accounts, or to send ATM cards to a post box that was under Ndadi’s control.During sentencing, Judge Maritz recounted that the court had been told that Ndadi had gone through the hardships and sacrifices of going into exile to join the fight against colonialism and apartheid in Namibia as a member of Plan.Having used an opportunity to study electronic engineering in Amsterdam in that time, he used his skills to help set up communications systems for Swapo and Plan during the war before Independence.”Mr Ndadi, you were prepared to share your blood to bring about a just and free society in this country, where everyone could live with dignity and be able to prosper,” the Judge told him.Yet, the effects of the financial greed that inspired the crimes committed by Ndadi had corroded these ideals, the Judge continued.While a fine would drive home the message that crime does not pay, a prison term was inevitable given the circumstances of Ndadi’s case, Judge Maritz said.He told Ndadi that he had not been driven by poverty or other adverse circumstances to commit the crimes.At the time that the scam was executed, Ndadi was earning a net salary of about N$9 500 a month, the court heard.His net salary has since grown to about N$23 000 a month, but he is also earning extra commission as part of his job of marketing the products of Sat-Com, the communications company of which he is the executive director for sales and technical services, the Judge recounted.The court heard that Ndadi was such a success in his job that he earned over a million Namibia dollars in commissions in one year.He had started right at the bottom of the ladder in the company, but his qualities were soon noticed and he managed to work his way up through the ranks, the court heard.One of his abilities that were highly prized by the company was his success in marketing the company’s products to the Namibian military, the Office of the President, and other parts of Government, the court heard.He had also been instrumental in engineering a shareholder setup in which the Government-owned August 26 company acquired 49 per cent of the shares in Sat-Com, the Judge was told.It pained him to have to inform Ndadi that a jail term was unavoidable, the Judge told Ndadi.In Namibia the battle against crime carried on unabated, and the courts were in the frontline of this battle, he said.The courts would not shy away from efforts to build a just and orderly society – which were the same ideals that Ndadi had believed in and fought for before he was corrupted by greed to commit these crimes, Judge Maritz said.He sentenced Ndadi to a fine of N$100 000 or two years’ imprisonment if the fine is not paid, as well as five years’ imprisonment, of which three years will be suspended for five years on condition that Ndadi repays the N$88 000-plus to the bank no later than the end of December, and is not again convicted of fraud or theft and given a direct prison sentence during that period.Ndadi was represented by Louis Botes, on the instructions of Louis du Pisani.Deputy Prosecutor General Johnny Truter represented the State.Ndadi (45) pleaded guilty to 10 charges of fraud and two counts of attempted fraud when his trial started before Judge Gerhard Maritz on Tuesday.He admitted that between May 11 and July 15 1999, he took part in a fraud scheme in which dormant bank accounts at Bank Windhoek were targeted.The bank was hoodwinked into either transferring money out of those accounts into accounts belonging to Ndadi or to which he had access, or into posting automated teller machine cards for the dormant accounts to a post office box Ndadi had rented.In the process, Ndadi told the court in a written plea explanation, he and his partner in the scheme shared the money that they managed to siphon from the targeted accounts. In all, just over N$88 000 was withdrawn from the accounts.According to Ndadi’s plea explanation, a friend and business acquaintance, Erastus Noddy Himotha, first approached him in late 1998 with the idea of setting up and implementing the scheme.Himotha died in August 1999.Ndadi said that Himotha told him that he had received information about a number of dormant Bank Windhoek savings accounts.Himotha also had access to examples of the account holders’ signatures, which he and Ndadi then used on faxes they sent to the bank to either instruct it to transfer money out of the targeted accounts, or to send ATM cards to a post box that was under Ndadi’s control.During sentencing, Judge Maritz recounted that the court had been told that Ndadi had gone through the hardships and sacrifices of going into exile to join the fight against colonialism and apartheid in Namibia as a member of Plan.Having used an opportunity to study electronic engineering in Amsterdam in that time, he used his skills to help set up communications systems for Swapo and Plan during the war before Independence.”Mr Ndadi, you were prepared to share your blood to bring about a just and free society in this country, where everyone could live with dignity and be able to prosper,” the Judge told him.Yet, the effects of the financial greed that inspired the crimes committed by Ndadi had corroded these ideals, the Judge continued.While a fine would drive home the message that crime does not pay, a prison term was inevitable given the circumstances of Ndadi’s case, Judge Maritz said.He told Ndadi that he had not been driven by poverty or other adverse circumstances to commit the crimes.At the time that the scam was executed, Ndadi was earning a net salary of about N$9 500 a month, the court heard.His net salary has since grown to about N$23 000 a month, but he is also earning extra commission as part of his job of marketing the products of Sat-Com, the communications company of which he is the executive director for sales and technical services, the Judge recounted.The court heard that Ndadi was such a success in his job that he earned over a million Namibia dollars in commissions in one year.He had started right at the bottom of the ladder in the company, but his qualities were soon noticed and he managed to work his way up through the ranks, the court heard.One of his abilities that were highly prized by the company was his success in marketing the comp
any’s products to the Namibian military, the Office of the President, and other parts of Government, the court heard.He had also been instrumental in engineering a shareholder setup in which the Government-owned August 26 company acquired 49 per cent of the shares in Sat-Com, the Judge was told.It pained him to have to inform Ndadi that a jail term was unavoidable, the Judge told Ndadi.In Namibia the battle against crime carried on unabated, and the courts were in the frontline of this battle, he said.The courts would not shy away from efforts to build a just and orderly society – which were the same ideals that Ndadi had believed in and fought for before he was corrupted by greed to commit these crimes, Judge Maritz said.He sentenced Ndadi to a fine of N$100 000 or two years’ imprisonment if the fine is not paid, as well as five years’ imprisonment, of which three years will be suspended for five years on condition that Ndadi repays the N$88 000-plus to the bank no later than the end of December, and is not again convicted of fraud or theft and given a direct prison sentence during that period.Ndadi was represented by Louis Botes, on the instructions of Louis du Pisani.Deputy Prosecutor General Johnny Truter represented the State.