Namib Desert Diamonds (Namdia) has arrested a second employee in connection with a heist in which perpetrators killed a security guard and stole NAD 314.9 million ($17.2 million) in diamonds.
The arrest comes as part of a collaboration between the Namibian government-owned sales-and-marketing company and law enforcement. Namdia has placed the worker on immediate suspension without pay, pending the outcome of both the internal disciplinary process and the criminal investigation, it said Thursday.
The company has not disclosed the name or position of the staff worker “out of respect for due process and to safeguard the integrity of the investigation,” it said.
Two of four suspects that took part in the January 2025 robbery were previously arrested, including one security guard. In March, the company recovered approximately NAD 40.6 million ($2.2 million) of the stolen diamonds. Later that year, Namdia sued security provider G4S for failing to prevent the robbery, alleging that it breached the terms of its agreement and was negligent in the performance of the security it had been contracted to provide.
The company has been dealing with challenges since the heist, facing allegations on social media that its security procedures and protocols were inadequate. It also terminated its CEO in October, following a disciplinary meeting in which she was found guilty of two charges of gross negligence and gross insubordination.
“Namdia does not, and will not, tolerate conduct that undermines the integrity of the company or the trust placed in us by the Namibian people,” the company said. “Our employees are held to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct, and any breaches are treated with the utmost seriousness.”
Image: Rough diamonds. (Namib Desert Diamonds)
