Maria Hamutenya
Kristofina Amutenya (33) made her first appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
H owever, Magistrate Venatius Alweendo postponed the matter to Wednesday pending an urgent High Court application filed by her lawyers. Lawyer Kadhila Amoomo, who is representing the murder accused, has challenged the decision of the Namibian authorities to arrest and charge Amutenya with two counts of murder, and one count of attempted murder upon her arrival from Addis Ababa on Monday. Amoomo has filed for an urgent application in the High Court to ask for her arrest and detention in Namibia to be declared unlawful, and for her to be released from custody.
This comes after the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) was informed a month ago by the Namibian Embassy in Addis Ababa that the Ethiopian Police had finalised investigations and submitted a report to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The relevant stakeholders, the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office are finalising the case, at which point the Namibian authorities will be requested to accompany the suspect in question home,” said MIRCO Spokesperson, Bertha Amakali.
Amoomo,however, argues that Amutenya was brought back to Namibia without proper documents justifying her removal from Ethiopia.
Amutenya was never tried or charged for the murder in Ethiopia due to her diplomatic immunitybut was, however, brought back by the Ethiopian government and arrested by the Namibian government upon arrival.
“The Ethiopian authorities do not have the position to trial Amutenya in Ethiopia that is why they brought her back to Namibia,” argued Amoomo
Since Amutenya is the wife of a Namibian diplomat she enjoys full diplomatic immunity, especially regarding arrest, detention or criminal prosecution.
Amutenya allegedly murdered her two children, Jenay Haufiku (9), and Jane Haufiku (3), by strangling them, and also attempted to murder her nine-year-old stepson who survived the ordeal. It is alleged that Amutenya told the children to go and sleep before committing the crime.
After committing the crime, Amutenya allegedly ran to the neighbours and informed them that her husband had been abusing the family. The husband was reportedly detained based on the allegations, but was released when the surviving child told Ethiopian authorities that it was Amutenya who had allegedly committed the killings.
Amutenya was married to diplomat, Petrus Haufiku, who was attached to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Namibia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The two married in 2010 before divorcing in 2020.
