N$40 million fraud accused Conradie appeals against bail refusal

Staff Reporter MARLIEN Conradie, a 36-year-old Outjo-born financial manager who is accused of stealing about N$41 million from her employer for almost a decade without being noticed, has launched an application in the High Court, making another attempt at freedom after being denied bail in the lower Magistrates’ Court in January 2026. Conradie was arrested on 7 November 2025 on charges of fraud and contravening section 6 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) of 2004. The State alleges that money flowed like a river from the accounts of her employer, Western Investments Namibia, as Conradie redirected payments from vendors or suppliers of companies in the Western Investments Namibia group into her own bank account before payments were made.

The alleged theft is said to have taken place from 2016 to 2025, with the illicit transactions only uncovered during an audit in April 2026, wherein it was noticed that two payments made by Vodu Logistics and Investment Services had been made into an account belonging to Conradie. This was, however, just the tip of the iceberg, as subsequent investigations uncovered millions of payments redirected into three different accounts belonging to the accused. The newfound ill-gotten wealth is said to have allegedly evaporated into a life of luxury as Conradie escaped into a whirlwind of travel and luxury purchases, with Conradie spending large amounts such as over N$300,000 in London-based luxury department stores such as Harrods, and another N$200,000 spent at Louis Vuitton, among many other brand-name shops.