WINDHOEK, Namibia — Namibian investigators were hot on the trail of the suspected burglars. After receiving a tip about a sensational heist — the theft of cash from a farm belonging to President Cyril Ramaphosa of neighboring South Africa — they had traced large money transfers that the suspects made from South African to Namibian bank accounts.
All that was left to make a case against the suspects was to link the money to the burglary.
But when justice ministry officials in Namibia reached out to their counterparts in South Africa for confirmation, they say they got an unusual response that killed their case: silence.
Now, two years later, that silence is raising new questions about whether Mr. Ramaphosa was attempting to hide the burglary from public view and mobilizing the government apparatus to help him do so.
