Marcus Thomas kon steeds nie ˊn prokureur kry om hom te verteenwoordig in sy aansoek om verlof tot appèl nie. Foto argief/Kristien Kruger
Marcus Thomas kon steeds nie ˊn prokureur kry om hom te verteenwoordig in sy aansoek om verlof tot appèl nie. Foto argief/Kristien Kruger

American struggles to get lawyer

Iréne-Mari van der Walt
The two Americans, Marcus Thomas and Kevan Townsend, who were found guilty and sentenced last year for the murder of André Heckmair in 2011, are still awaiting a decision on their application for leave to appeal.

Arguments are expected to be heard on 7 June.

Thomas told Judge Christie Liebenberg on Tuesday that he will obtain another private legal representative to represent him in this application and to present arguments in June.

Thomas said he appointed Kadhila Amoomo to represent him and that his payment was transferred from the United States of America.

"The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has since changed its internal regulations and now requires statements to be provided. Kadhila Amoomo is not willing to fill out a statement form," Thomas said in court. "This means I will either have to do a cash transfer, which is practically impossible given my situation, or I will have to find another legal representative," he explained. Thomas claims he was unable to contact a legal representative until Monday but insists he still wants to appoint a private attorney.

Liebenberg told Thomas that the court may consider separating his application from that of his accomplice, Townsend. Their applications will still be heard together, as Townsend's legal representative, Mbanga Siyomunji, requested that they not be separated due to the fact that the applications stem from the same incident. "You must appreciate that this cannot go on forever – you will either have to present your arguments yourself or instruct your legal representative to be ready to present arguments," Liebenberg told Thomas.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-22

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