Moussongela guilty of fraud
With more serious charges of rape and human trafficking still pending, the Congolese pastor has been convicted on three charges of fraud and four charges of employing foreigners without permits.
Congolese pastor Pedro Marcelino Moussongela, who is still facing multiple charges of human trafficking, rape and assault by threat in Ondangwa and Windhoek courts, was last week found guilty of fraud and of contravening the Immigration Act.
Moussongela was convicted on Friday in the Eenhana Magistrate's Court where he was appearing on three charges of fraud and four charges of employing foreigners without the necessary working permits. He was found guilty on all seven charges.
Moussongela will be sentenced on Wednesday by Magistrate Helvi Shilemba. According to court records, Moussongela falsified documents of children whom he claimed to be his own and were born outside Namibia to conceal their true citizenship.
These children later obtained Namibian documents after Moussongela misrepresented the late Teresia Tangi Iyambo as the mother of the children. In March this year the court heard that Moussongela facilitated the entry of the children into Namibian from Angola.
During another appearance in the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court, prosecutor Dollen Gowases argued that the State had it on record that Iyambo only had one child when she died in 2011 and was not the mother to the Angolan children. It is not clear what relationship Iyambo had with Moussongela.
The Congolese pastor was also found guilty on four counts of employing foreigners as teachers at his Mennonite Brethren Community School Namibia in Omafo in the Ohangwena Region.
Moussongela claimed the school was established for orphans and vulnerable children.
The state urged that Moussongela placed the lives of these children in danger by leaving them in the care of unauthorised foreign teachers.
Moussongela, 56, is the founder of the church-based organisation Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church, which he said generated money for him to establish the Mennonite Brethren Community School Namibia and Ongenga English Private School.
Phil ya Nangoloh of NamRights criticised Moussongela's plea entered in court, saying it was merely a tactic to manipulate the court to be lenient with him knowing that he is facing serious cases against humanity in the other two courts.
“Crimes against humanity are international cases which also linked to the international criminal courts of justice and in most convicts of this cases receive life to imprisonment. The court must not be lenient to him because by doing so you are putting the nation at risk. It is like taking a wolf from the jungle and put it among the sheep. He must be an example of those who are thinking of committing similar offences,” Ya Nangoloh said.
Last month the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court put on hold Moussongela's bail application on charges of human trafficking, rape and assault by threat, until Eenhana court finalises their matter.
On 22 June he also appeared before the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on the same charges and the case was postponed to 1 March next year. Prosecutor Brighton Sililo Mwala on behalf of state suggested that on the three counts of fraud he must be sentenced to five years in prison for each count, while on four counts of employing non-Namibians without working permits, a fine of N$4 000 on each count or 12 years imprisonment will suffice.
Moussongela conducted his own defence.
ILENI NANDJATO
Moussongela was convicted on Friday in the Eenhana Magistrate's Court where he was appearing on three charges of fraud and four charges of employing foreigners without the necessary working permits. He was found guilty on all seven charges.
Moussongela will be sentenced on Wednesday by Magistrate Helvi Shilemba. According to court records, Moussongela falsified documents of children whom he claimed to be his own and were born outside Namibia to conceal their true citizenship.
These children later obtained Namibian documents after Moussongela misrepresented the late Teresia Tangi Iyambo as the mother of the children. In March this year the court heard that Moussongela facilitated the entry of the children into Namibian from Angola.
During another appearance in the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court, prosecutor Dollen Gowases argued that the State had it on record that Iyambo only had one child when she died in 2011 and was not the mother to the Angolan children. It is not clear what relationship Iyambo had with Moussongela.
The Congolese pastor was also found guilty on four counts of employing foreigners as teachers at his Mennonite Brethren Community School Namibia in Omafo in the Ohangwena Region.
Moussongela claimed the school was established for orphans and vulnerable children.
The state urged that Moussongela placed the lives of these children in danger by leaving them in the care of unauthorised foreign teachers.
Moussongela, 56, is the founder of the church-based organisation Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church, which he said generated money for him to establish the Mennonite Brethren Community School Namibia and Ongenga English Private School.
Phil ya Nangoloh of NamRights criticised Moussongela's plea entered in court, saying it was merely a tactic to manipulate the court to be lenient with him knowing that he is facing serious cases against humanity in the other two courts.
“Crimes against humanity are international cases which also linked to the international criminal courts of justice and in most convicts of this cases receive life to imprisonment. The court must not be lenient to him because by doing so you are putting the nation at risk. It is like taking a wolf from the jungle and put it among the sheep. He must be an example of those who are thinking of committing similar offences,” Ya Nangoloh said.
Last month the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court put on hold Moussongela's bail application on charges of human trafficking, rape and assault by threat, until Eenhana court finalises their matter.
On 22 June he also appeared before the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on the same charges and the case was postponed to 1 March next year. Prosecutor Brighton Sililo Mwala on behalf of state suggested that on the three counts of fraud he must be sentenced to five years in prison for each count, while on four counts of employing non-Namibians without working permits, a fine of N$4 000 on each count or 12 years imprisonment will suffice.
Moussongela conducted his own defence.
ILENI NANDJATO
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