Statehouse has said President Hage Geingob has summoned the Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hafeni Vilho after revelations that he currently holds an undeclared bank account in Hong Kong with HSBC, allegedly linked to illicit proceeds.
This comes after constant allegations of corruption on the part of the minister by Mayor Job Amupanda.
It also comes as PDM leader McHenry Venaani wrote an open letter to Geingob telling him to get rid of the minister.
According to Statehouse, President Geingob summoned Vilho to a meeting on Tuesday 6 April 2021 following consultation with the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister.
Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari said, “President Hage G. Geingob has demonstrated over the years, solid determination to fight corruption, first by setting up the national anti-corruption mechanisms as Prime Minister in the 1990s, and second, by acting decisively as President since 2015 following acts of alleged corruption in Government.”
“In 2015, President Geingob cancelled the highly inflated airport tender, initially tendered at 3 Billion N$, but escalated to 6 Billion N$. In 2018, following public perceptions of corruption at four Offices and Ministries, President Geingob directed the Ministers of Mines and Energy, Works and Transport, Health and Social Services, including the Attorney General to provide their versions regarding the accusations.”
The Ministers and the Attorney General at the time provided dossiers containing their versions, which President Geingob submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation and further action. However, as a preventive measure, President Geingob removed the Ministers from their respective Ministries and Offices in order to allow investigations to be carried out without hindrance. In 2019, following reports of corrupt practices by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, the President removed the two Ministers implicated in acts of corruption from Office. The rest is history.”
