The 14 people arrested in a swoop operation on October 4 on charges of transnational internet fraud and trafficking in persons appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court this afternoon.

The case was postponed to February 15, 2024 for further investigations, and bail was refused to all.

Of those arrested, many of those deemed foreigners were indicated on the charge sheet as being Namibian citizens.

The accused were arrested at several properties across Winhoek in a late-night swoop on October 3.

The state, led by Prosecutor Bernadine Bertolini, opposed bail on the grounds that the investigation is in its infancy, that some 100 statements from witnesses and victims are still to be taken, that forensic audits are still to be conducted, and that the crime is believed to be part of an international syndicate operating across several jurisdictions.

The suspects were also deemed flight risks and likely to interfere with investigations if released.

Bertolini said that a statement must also be obtained from NamRa, and forensics must be done on electronic devices that were confiscated from the accused.

The date of arrest of the accused person was contested by the defence, led by Gilbert Kasper.

He contended that his clients were arrested on the night of October 3 and not on October 4, as indicated on the charge sheet, arguing that authorities contravened the 48-hour rule for the accused to be brought to court.

He said that the group was illegally detained for the first day of their arrest and only arrested on the 4th before being brought to court on October 6.

Under cross-examination, the arresting officer, Warrent Bonifatius Shiweda, agreed that the operation started on the night of October 3 but maintained that the arrests were only effected on October 4.

The magistrate gave the prosecution the benefit of the doubt regarding the matter of the arrest date, given the case's complexity.

The three Namibian-born accused are Mdanda Mamelodi Domingo, accused number seven; Carlos Valdes, accused number 13; and Toivo Herman, accused number 14.

In addition to human trafficking, the 14 are also charged with using the services of trafficked persons, fraudulent transactions to the tune of about N$17 million, disguising the unlawful origin of property, racketeering, failure to pay tax, and aiding and abetting illegal persons to remain in Namibia.