THE charge against the Israeli national who was the only person so far to have been arrested in connection with the theft of diamonds worth millions of dollars from the NamGem diamond cutting plant at Okahandja was withdrawn yesterday.
Ten weeks after being arrested and charged with a count of theft of diamonds, Erez Ben Shushan (47) is a free man again after Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa decided to drop the charge against him.
Ben Shushan was working at the NamGem diamond cutting plant at Okahandja when diamonds worth close to N$20 million were found to have disappeared from a safe at the factory during the weekend between September 3 and 6.
Ben Shushan made his sixth appearance in the Okahandja Magistrate's Court yesterday, to hear Public Prosecutor Felistas Shikerete inform Magistrate Tuvoye Nuule that the Prosecutor General has instructed that the charge against him should be withdrawn.
The Prosecutor General also instructed that the investigation of the case should continue following the withdrawal of the charge.
Ben Shushan, who is employed with the American company Lazare Kaplan International, which is a partner of NamGem, was charged in connection with the disappearance of 1 036 polished and uncut diamonds, weighing 1 713 carats and reportedly valued at US$2,64 million (about N$18,4 million), from the NamGem safe. He had been free on bail of N$100 000 since September 9.
Ben Shushan's defence lawyer, Jan Wessels, commented yesterday about the withdrawal of the charge against his client: "The investigation against him has delivered nothing. In fact, the investigation has exonerated him."
After his arrest, Ben Shushan went through a company disciplinary hearing which ended with him being found not guilty of gross negligence.
With the charge against him now withdrawn, there is nothing in the Diamond Act that would prevent him from returning to his job at the factory, NamGem Board Chairman Kennedy Hamutenya said yesterday.
A decision to withdraw the charge against Ben Shushan was first taken in the Office of the Prosecutor General in late October. That decision was however then put on hold as the case was reconsidered, before the Prosecutor General finally decided to withdraw the charge.
