Chinese tycoon busted with N$3.5m laundering and fraud …as 32 Chinese fleeced of thousands in bribes by customs officials

By Confidente Reporter

A 48-year old Chinese tycoon based in Ondangwa was recently arrested for fraud, money laundering and contra­vening customs laws after he was caught with N$3, 5 million, Confidente has learnt.
Zhu Honggang who is said to have Namib­ian citizenship owns Glory Building Material stores, in Ondangwa, Oshakati and Oshikan­go and has been incarcerated at the Oshakati police holding cells since his arrest on Decem­ber 19.
Officer commanding the Oshana region, Commissioner Rauha Amwele said that Honggang faces three counts of fraud, money laundering and contravening section 9 of the Customs Act. Other charges include posses­sion or use of proceeds of unlawful activities, prevention of organised crime Act while oth­er charges will be added at a later stage. He appeared in the Ondangwa Magistrates on Wednesday before Magistrate Ninja Hochbes.
According to police sources, Honggang was also allegedly found with electronic devices which falsify import and export documents to help him dodge paying taxes and custom duties.
“Some computers were found at his house with documents showing that his building Angola instead of coming into Namibia to avoid immaterials were bound for port duties,” said a police source. ­
Meanwhile, at least 32 Chinese businesspeople in Oshikango have alleg­edly been fleeced out of thousands of dollars by Ministry of Finance offi­cials stationed in the Inland Revenue department, who demanded bribes ranging from N$30 000 to N$60 000 on each occasion from the Asians before they were finally nabbed last Sunday.
Three of the suspects were arrested on Sunday at Commercial Street shop­ping complex in Oshikan­go and have been identified as Likius Nakale (45), Shi­pungo Jeremia Nyelele (45) and Larius Namutewa (46).
The three have since ap­peared in court and were denied bail.
According to Namibian police Inspector General, Lieutenant General Sebas­tian Ndeitunga, the trio was nabbed following a trap set by the police after Chinese businesspeople re­ported the alleged frequent extortion by the Ministry of Finance officials.
“The scam is very wide … about 32 businessmen/ women were affected and defrauded by these offi­cials. The trio were arrested after they went into a Chi­nese shop pretending to be on an operation doing inspection but their main purpose was to source money from the Chinese business community for their own benefit.”
Ndeitunga added that the customs officials allegedly were given N$15 000 by one Chinese businesswom­an which they said was not enough as they wanted N$15 000 more before they allegedly demanded that the lady gives them the out­standing money.
While the three were wait­ing for the outstanding money that’s when the po­lice pounced on the three and arrested them, Ndei­tunga said.
“They were demanding N$30 000 but the Chinese (businesswoman) was only having N$15 000, they were then given the N$15 000, and continued demanding the remaining N$15 000. While they were waiting for the rest of the money to be brought, the police then arrived and ordered them to remain in the shop. Fur­thermore, they were asked to give the money that they were given by the Chinese lady, specifically Mr. Na­mutewa who was given money in his hands but he denied knowledge of any money, although he was taken to the CCTV cam­era which showed him de­manding to be given mon­ey he kept insisting (that he didn’t receive any money).
“The three officers were arrested and taken to Os­hikango police station, and a case was opened against them at Oshikango CR 41/12/2016 for Contraven­ing section 43, Act number 08 of 2003 of Anti-Corrup­tion Act,” Ndeitunga said.