Werner Menges
18 November 2008
The case in which two young men are accused of brutally murdering a Russian couple six months ago by hacking them to death with a panga at a farm near Okahandja was transferred to the High Court yesterday.
For double murder suspects Ruben Tjombe (20) and Fritz Gaoseb (20) the wheels of justice have been turning with unusual speed - by current Namibian standards at least - so far.
Six months after their arrest on two counts of murder and a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances, the investigation of their case has been completed and the Prosecutor General has taken a decision on the further conduct of the prosecution that they face.
Making their fifth joint appearance since their arrest before Magistrate Jabulani Ncube in the Okahandja Magistrate's Court yesterday, Tjombe and Gaoseb were informed that the Prosecutor General has instructed that their case should be transferred to the High Court.
The Prosecutor General has also decided that they will face two counts of murder and a count of robbery with aggravating circumstances at their trial in the High Court, Public Prosecutor Frans Anderson informed the court.
Tjombe and Gaoseb have to make a first pre-trial appearance in the High Court on Thursday next week.
The two suspects have been in Police custody since being arrested in mid-May.
It is alleged that they had been employed by a Russian couple, Andrei Pastouchkov (50) and Svetlana Lobanova (44), who were farming with poultry at a smallholding some 10 kilometres north of Okahandja.
Pastouchkov and Lobanova were found dead at the smallholding on May 13.
It is suspected that both had been hacked to death with a panga, with Pastouchkov's neck having been severed and Lobanova having sustained multiple cut wounds, including a fatal wound to her neck as well.
Tjombe and Gaoseb were not at the plot when the couple was found murdered.
Various items, including a firearm and jewellery, are claimed to have been stolen from the couple's house at the plot at the time of their deaths.
According to the Police, Tjombe was arrested at Okahandja on May 14, while Gaoseb was arrested at Otjimbingwe the next day.
They both pleaded not guilty to all three charges in the Okahandja Magistrate's Court on September 18.
Legal Aid Directorate lawyer Tulonga Nakamhela represented the two charged suspects when they pleaded and again with yesterday's court appearance.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Namibian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
