Record heist attempt suspect asks for bail

A FORMER prison guard who is accused of having been involved in an attempted robbery that would have been the largest cash-in-transit heist in Namibia’s history – were it not foiled – is set to hear on Friday whether he will be released on bail after close to eight weeks in Police custody.

Former prison warder Augustinus Balzer was employed by G4S Security Services, the security company whose premises in Windhoek’s Andimba Toivo ya Toivo Street was the scene of an alleged armed robbery on May 25.
Balzer was the first of three suspects to be arrested after the heist, in which a gang of four robbers allegedly held staff of the security company at gunpoint and started to load money that the company was supposed to transport on behalf of banks onto a vehicle with which the gang had arrived with at the premises.

The gang however fled from the scene in another vehicle, leaving the partly-loaded bakkie behind, when other security officers of G4S Security Services unexpectedly arrived at the scene.
Had the gang managed to get away from the scene with the money they were loading, their haul would have amounted to N$24 million – which would have been the largest amount of money yet to be stolen in a cash robbery in Namibia.
The body of Claudius Stuurman, the owner of the bakkie that was left at the scene, was found on the morning after the attempted heist in a patch of veld between Khomasdal and Windhoek North. Stuurman is thought to have committed suicide by shooting himself.
He is claimed to have left behind a suicide note in which he implicated other people in the failed robbery.
Over the two days after Balzer was taken into custody on May 25, another two suspects, Charlie Swartz and Christiaan Mukoko, were also arrested by the Police.
While Swartz and Mukoko were granted bail of N$10 000 each on June 17, the prosecution was opposed to Balzer being released on bail.
As a result, a formal bail application by Balzer started before Magistrate Helvi Shilemba in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in the last week of June.
Defence lawyer Boris Isaacks and Public Prosecutor Meriam Kenaruzo made their final arguments before the Magistrate’s ruling in the bail application yesterday. Magistrate Shilemba is scheduled to give her ruling on Friday.
During the bail hearing, the Magistrate was told that Stuurman was an uncle of Balzer and that telephone records indicate that he and Balzer had been in telephonic contact on the morning of the attempted heist.
According to Balzer, though, he spoke to Stuurman on the phone in connection with funeral arrangements for a son of Stuurman, Isaacks reminded the Magistrate yesterday.
Isaacks argued that there was no credible evidence before the Magistrate to show that Balzer would interfere with the Police’s investigation of the case if he is released on bail.
On the alleged suicide note of Stuurman, Isaacks said this was a note written on behalf of Stuurman, who could not write.
He charged that the prosecution only has a suspicion that Balzer was involved in the robbery attempt. There is no proof that Balzer was part of a prior agreement to carry out the alleged crime, or that he was present at the scene of the crime when it was taking place, though, Isaacks argued.
‘The State is busy with what is called a witch-hunt. They arrest people left, right and centre,’ and have not been able to properly explain why the other two suspects in the case were granted bail while Balzer’s request for bail is being opposed, he charged. Prosecutor Kenaruzo however argued that the State has a strong case against Balzer. She told the Magistrate that the evidence shows that Balzer had been part of the planning of the robbery, and that he had been ‘a mastermind’ behind the alleged crime.
According to some of this evidence, Balzer brought two strangers to the G4S Security Services premises a few days before the robbery, refused to let them sign in a visitor’s register, and showed them the strongroom where money was kept at the premises, Kenaruzo related. Isaacks told the Magistrate that Balzer is denying this.
Kenaruzo argued that it would not be in the interest of justice or of society to release Balzer on bail.