Amoomo pours cold water over Shikongo’s ‘empty threat’
Police chief demands N$1.2m from activist
The activist is being hauled over the coals once again after he claimed
the police chief had a hand in tampering with evidence related to a December car crash.
Tuyeimo Haidula
OSHAKATI
Michael Amushelelo’s lawyer Kadhila Amoomo says a decision by Namibian Police inspector-general Joseph Shikongo to sue the activist for N$1.2 million is an “empty threat”.
Shikongo is gunning for Amushelelo for allegedly making defamatory and false statements, suggestions, innuendos and insinuations against him in a social media post.
The police chief made the summons through his lawyer Nambili Mhata, who initially demanded that Amushelelo remove all posts and/or publications that “are wrongful and injurious” to Shikongo - or face a lawsuit.
This after Amushelelo posted a video on TikTok – where he has more than 44 000 followers – making reference to an accident Shikongo was involved in on 30 December 2022. The police chief was the sole survivor of the crash.Arrest him
Amushelelo is demanding that Shikongo be arrested after the accident led to the deaths of Frans Pombili Ndengu (27), Sofia Natangwe Ananias (22) and Stefanus Hafeni Shahafifange Lukas (22).
In the video, the activist claimed to be reliably informed that Ananias was, in fact, in Shikongo’s private vehicle, and not in the other car involved in the accident, as had been widely reported.
“This explains now why Joseph Shikongo’s vehicle was immediately removed from the scene,” he said.
He further demanded that all the police officers who were involved in “covering up the accident” be arrested immediately.
In response, Shikongo - through his lawyer - wrote to Amushelelo demanding him to retract his statements and apologise.
Mhata said Amushelelo’s claims are not only false, but their insinuations, suggestions and innuendos concerning his client are “wrongfully malicious and designed in contempt” of Shikongo to “infringe upon his reputation, dignity, his person, self-worth and good name”.
Amushelelo was initially given until 14 February to delete the video, but refused to comply and continued posting about Shikongo.
Million-dollar lawsuit
On 20 February, Mhata wrote to Amushelelo that his client suffered damages to the tune of N$1 million.
“Interest on the aforesaid amount at the rate of 20% per annum [will be] calculated from the date of judgment.”
He further ordered Amushelelo to “unconditionally retract such statements and unconditionally, unreservedly and genuinely apologise to the plaintiff within five days of the court order for the harm and reputation damages occasioned by his defamatory and injurious statements”. Should he fail to do so, “the quantum for damages shall be increased to N$1.2 million,” he wrote.
Brutum fulmen
Yesterday, Amushelelo’s lawyer Kadhila Amoomo said Shikongo’s case “is nothing but brutum fulmen [an empty threat].
“He made it clear that he will be suing Amushelelo. Once we receive the summons, we will defend and let the court decide”.
When approached for comment yesterday afternoon, Amushelelo dismissed the matter as “clown sh*t”.
[email protected]
OSHAKATI
Michael Amushelelo’s lawyer Kadhila Amoomo says a decision by Namibian Police inspector-general Joseph Shikongo to sue the activist for N$1.2 million is an “empty threat”.
Shikongo is gunning for Amushelelo for allegedly making defamatory and false statements, suggestions, innuendos and insinuations against him in a social media post.
The police chief made the summons through his lawyer Nambili Mhata, who initially demanded that Amushelelo remove all posts and/or publications that “are wrongful and injurious” to Shikongo - or face a lawsuit.
This after Amushelelo posted a video on TikTok – where he has more than 44 000 followers – making reference to an accident Shikongo was involved in on 30 December 2022. The police chief was the sole survivor of the crash.Arrest him
Amushelelo is demanding that Shikongo be arrested after the accident led to the deaths of Frans Pombili Ndengu (27), Sofia Natangwe Ananias (22) and Stefanus Hafeni Shahafifange Lukas (22).
In the video, the activist claimed to be reliably informed that Ananias was, in fact, in Shikongo’s private vehicle, and not in the other car involved in the accident, as had been widely reported.
“This explains now why Joseph Shikongo’s vehicle was immediately removed from the scene,” he said.
He further demanded that all the police officers who were involved in “covering up the accident” be arrested immediately.
In response, Shikongo - through his lawyer - wrote to Amushelelo demanding him to retract his statements and apologise.
Mhata said Amushelelo’s claims are not only false, but their insinuations, suggestions and innuendos concerning his client are “wrongfully malicious and designed in contempt” of Shikongo to “infringe upon his reputation, dignity, his person, self-worth and good name”.
Amushelelo was initially given until 14 February to delete the video, but refused to comply and continued posting about Shikongo.
Million-dollar lawsuit
On 20 February, Mhata wrote to Amushelelo that his client suffered damages to the tune of N$1 million.
“Interest on the aforesaid amount at the rate of 20% per annum [will be] calculated from the date of judgment.”
He further ordered Amushelelo to “unconditionally retract such statements and unconditionally, unreservedly and genuinely apologise to the plaintiff within five days of the court order for the harm and reputation damages occasioned by his defamatory and injurious statements”. Should he fail to do so, “the quantum for damages shall be increased to N$1.2 million,” he wrote.
Brutum fulmen
Yesterday, Amushelelo’s lawyer Kadhila Amoomo said Shikongo’s case “is nothing but brutum fulmen [an empty threat].
“He made it clear that he will be suing Amushelelo. Once we receive the summons, we will defend and let the court decide”.
When approached for comment yesterday afternoon, Amushelelo dismissed the matter as “clown sh*t”.
[email protected]
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