🇳🇦NamibiaSouthern Africa
Seven crypto fraud suspects flee Namibia, warrants issued after court no-show
via The Namibian3 min read
Seven individuals accused of operating an international online fraud scheme from Namibia have failed to appear for a pretrial hearing in the Windhoek High Court, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants. State advocate Basson Lilungwe informed Judge Philanda Christiaan that the seven, who were out on bail, stopped reporting to the police earlier this year. Police visits to their residences found the premises empty, suggesting they have left Namibia. Six of the missing accused are Chinese citizens, and one is a Singapore national. Their bail deposits have been provisionally forfeited to the state. The remaining seven accused, including Chinese, Cuban, and Namibian nationals, attended the hearing. They face 65 charges, including trafficking in persons, fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The state alleges that between December 2022 and October 2023, the accused recruited unemployed Namibians through Raylon Investments, training them to lure victims into investing in cryptocurrency accounts controlled by the accused. These recruited employees were allegedly subjected to forced labor and exploitation, and were made to create fake social media profiles to build relationships with victims. The state claims that victims were defrauded of approximately N$4.4 million in various currencies. The accused were arrested in October 2023, and the remaining defendants are scheduled for another pretrial hearing on May 20.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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