A judge of the Windhoek High Court has ordered Namibia's immigration authorities to release seven employees of a diamond-cutting company who were detained as alleged prohibited immigrants last week, The Namibian has reported.
Acting Judge Michael Mtambo ordered the minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, the chief of immigration and the station commander of Windhoek Central Police Station to release the seven Indian citizens, after hearing an urgent application filed by their employer, Brilliant Star Diamonds Namibia, and the seven men themselves.
The men were released on Sunday.
In a sworn statement filed at the court on Saturday, one of the men, Viral Shah, said he and his colleagues were arrested after two immigration officials and a number of police officers arrived at their place of employment in the Prosperita area of Windhoek on Wednesday last week.
The arrests were carried out after the officials had asked for the employment permits of all of Brilliant Star Diamonds Namibia's non‑Namibian employees.
According to notices handed to Shah and his colleagues, he was detained for allegedly aiding prohibited immigrants in Namibia, while his colleagues were accused of being prohibited immigrants.
Shah said in his statement that he is in possession of a valid Namibian employment permit which is due to expire in December 2027.
Shah disputed that he and his colleagues are prohibited immigrants in Namibia, and said all of them have valid permits to be in Namibia.
“Our respective passports contain the permits in terms of which we are entitled to remain in Namibia, and the immigration officers perused the passports and saw the permits endorsed in the passports,” he said.
“The immigration officers thus could not have reasonably suspected that we are prohibited immigrants.”
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
