Namibian Extradition Act and Kobi Alexander

Extradition can be a complex and diplomatically delicate process between a variety of states worldwide. With regards to extradition in Namibia, the particularly high-profile case in 2016 of Jacob "Kobi" Alexander focused fresh attention on the process. The Extradition Act of Namibia requires that the country requesting the extradition of a person residing in Namibia must demonstrate that there is evidence proving a prima facie case against the person in question. A prima facie case is the establishment of a rebuttable presumption. The idea being that there is enough evidence to make a case, although that case may be rebutted.

Some argue that the Extradition Act of Namibia places a fairly heavy burden on the state and complicates the process as a whole as the Act allows for the person facing extradition to attempt to bring their case before the Namibian courts in order to avoid being tried for their criminal behavior in another country.

The case of Kobi Alexander, an Israeli-American businessman, began in 2006 when the United States Department of Justice charged Alexander with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit various forms of fraud related to trading the stock of his New York-based tech company. Alexander fled to Namibia and evaded extradition there for 10 years before finally returning to the US and being tried and sentenced in New York in 2016.

Kobi Alexander outside a court in Windhoek: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/judge-declines-to-release-jacob-kobi-alexander-on-bail-1.12215364

It's worth noting that while in Namibia, Alexander fashioned himself as somewhat of a philanthropist, thus generating further flurries of commentary over his public image. In 2007, he created a scholarship fund for the advancement of science and technology education. Alexander further pledged to invest up to $N 100 million in the nation as a whole over the course of the following five years through a venture called Kobi Alexander Enterprises. This entire situation reads as questionable to say the least, and as a perpetuation of the harmful stereotypes surrounding the region of West Africa and the idea of wealthy white benefactors at most.

Sources:
https://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=131269&page=archive-read
https://www.namibian.com.na/161766/archive-read/Kobi-Alexander-goes-to-prison-in-US
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobi_Alexander
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-namibia-millionaire-alexander/wanted-u-s-millionaire-starts-namibia-student-fund-idUSL2324973420070423

- Cecilia A.