Accountant accused of stealing funds from school for gambling to face trial
While transferring the funds, a Namibian woman allegedly disguised them as payments to legitimate creditors.
Namibia.- A Namibian woman who allegedly stole over N$2.8 million (€134,855) from a private school in Windhoek to fund her gambling addiction is set to face trial after being deemed mentally fit to participate in the proceedings.
Maria Johanna Coetzee faces allegations of embezzling more than N$2.8 million from the Windhoek International School, where she served as a financial manager. She allegedly transferred the funds to three accounts in her own name between March and October 2018.
Prosecutors claim that Coetzee’s initial plan was to siphon off N$3.38 million (€162,789) from the school’s account, but her attempts were thwarted when six transactions were declined.
While transferring the funds, Coetzee allegedly disguised them as payments to legitimate creditors, including AFPF, Inland Revenue, Methealth, Loan Accounts Nedbank, Social Security Commission, City of Windhoek and Bank Windhoek.
The financial irregularities were detected by Francois Aylot, the board’s treasurer, on October 23, 2018, who swiftly reported to the authorities.
Coetzee was charged with 18 counts of fraud, or alternatively, 12 counts of theft, six counts of attempted theft and one count of money laundering. In May, she entered a plea, seeking to admit guilt to 13 counts. However, the Judge wasn’t satisfied with Coetzee’s plea, noting she didn’t fully admit to all elements of the charges, and entered not-guilty pleas instead.
Coetzee was released on bail in March 2019 but didn’t show up at a subsequent pre-trial hearing. After skipping bail, she fled Namibia to Pretoria, South Africa, where she was tracked down and eventually extradited.
While admitting to stealing some of the funds, Coetzee claimed her addiction to gambling drove her actions. Her defence argued that she suffers from reduced mental ability, which may make her unfit to stand trial.
However, a psychiatric report concluded that despite her diminished capacity, Coetzee understands court proceedings and can adequately defend herself. Her trial has been scheduled for August 18, 2025.
