Fraud-accused woman finally extradited

A 47-year-old fraud suspect, who apparently fled the country in 2019 and has since evaded local authorities, was finally extradited to Namibia yesterday.

Maria Johanna Coetzee allegedly defrauded Windhoek International School of about N$2.8 million when she worked there as a financial manager. She is believed to have committed the offences between March and October 2018.

She was expected to arrive at the Hosea Kutako International Airport from South Africa last night.

Coetzee faces 18 charges of fraud, alternatively theft, and one charge of money laundering. Her case was pending before the Windhoek High Court and she was granted bail of N$10 000 in March 2019, after which she reportedly fled to South Africa. The case was struck from the court roll on 20 July 2020.

A warrant had already been issued for her arrest because she failed to turn up for pre-trial proceedings and it was already suspected at that time that she was living in Pretoria.

In the court case, the State claimed that she initially attempted to transfer about N$3.3 million from the school's account to her own bank account, but some of the transactions were unsuccessful.