Angolan fraud suspects could plead guilty – defence lawyers

Three Angolan citizens facing charges of fraud and money laundering over their alleged involvement in a massive value-added tax refund scam that cost Namibia's Ministry of Finance $2.5m are considering entering guilty pleas. The Namibian reports that defence lawyers representing the suspects – Joaquim Espanhol, Eugenio Gourgel and Paulino Manuel Natal – have informed Judge President Petrus Damaseb during a pretrial in the Windhoek High Court that their clients have indicated that they are considering this option. Meanwhile, their case which involves 13 of their compatriots and two Namibians has been postponed to 16 July for another pretrial hearing. The state claims 15 of the 18 accused fraudulently claimed VAT refunds from the Ministry of Finance from May 2014 to December 2015.