Top spy found dead

INSPECTOR General Sebastian Ndeitunga yesterday said the police will investigate the death of a senior intelligence official accused of fraud and corruption to ensure that there was no foul play.

The Namibia Central Intelligence Service (NCIS) senior manager for criminal intelligence, Paulus Tshilunga, was yesterday found dead in his car on the outskirts of Windhoek, a police report stated.

Tshilunga, who joined the spy agency at Namibia’s independence, was at deputy director level in the national intelligence service.

Like other intelligence officials, Tshilunga operated in the shadows, but was pushed into the spotlight last month after it emerged that he was the intelligence official accused of fraud worth N$17 million from a fishing company co-owned by the intelligence services of Namibia and Mozambique.

Tshilunga’s alleged suicide comes four weeks after making his first secretive court appearance in Windhoek, on counts of fraud, the corrupt use of his office or position for gratification, and money laundering.

Ndeitunga, who admitted knowing Tshilunga personally, said the case of a senior intelligence official killing himself was rare, and that the police would not settle for the version that Tshilunga commited suicide without investigating.

“Like any type of incident, you need to investigate until you are satisfied to ensure that there is no foul play,” the police chief, who was in Angola yesterday, said.

While admitting to having known Tshilunga on a personal level, Ndeitunga said they haven’t spoken in a long time.

“He has been my friend for many years.

Everyone was caught by surprise by his death,” he said.The police announced yesterday that the suspected suicide took place 2km beyond the police checkpoint on the Daan Viljoen road, between 18h00 on Monday and 07h00 yesterday morning.

The incident, the report said, took place alongside the Daan Viljoen road, about 2km from the Daan Viljoen police road traffic checkpoint.

“It is alleged that Paulus Tshilunga (56 years old) committed suicide by shooting himself with a shotgun to the head while he was seated in a Toyota Land Cruiser double cab,” the police report said.

According to the report, the motive was not known, and there was no suicide note left.

“A police officer who lives in the Daan Viljoen area observed the abandoned vehicle parked along the road since yesterday.

This morning, upon closer look, he discovered the deceased and alerted the relevant personnel, who were dispatched to the scene,” the police statement read.

The firearm used was confirmed to be privately owned and police investigations continue, the report added.

A person familiar with this matter said a person who lives in Tshilunga’s house called several senior government officials at around 03h00 yesterday morning, asking if they knew his whereabouts.

The police said the family was informed yesterday morning about the death of the intelligence official, who was once tipped to head the spy agency.

People briefed by intelligence sources said Tshilunga was expected to go on early retirement.

reported about his case last month, but did not mention Tshilunga’s name because of a prohibition on identifying spies in public.

The 56-year-old was granted bail of N$40 000. His case was transferred to the High Court, where he was set to make a first pre-trial appearance on 18 October.

Tshilunga’s first appearance took place behind closed doors in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court last month.

The presiding magistrate, Walter Mikiti, ordered that the official court record of the case, which would normally be a public record, be kept under wraps and not be made available to the media after a public prosecutor asked for such an order on the grounds of “national security”.

Unless other suspects emerge in the case, the N$17 million allegedly embezzled by Tshilunga could be lost forever.

The Namibian reported last month that there were many players in this case. Sources said investigators asked about a certain Russian man who was involved in the buying of the vessel for the fishing company.

An intelligence officer allegedly said the Russian had died.

Fisheries minister Bernhard Esau confirmed last month that a company owned by the NCIS received fishing quotas from government.

He said the arrangement has been in place since before he was appointed fisheries minister in 2010.

Esau told that he was aware of the partnership, but did not want to be involved in the dispute about the use of funds by the company.