By: Justicia Shipena
National Assembly secretary Lydia Kandetu says when cases of money embezzlement are reported to the police or the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the institution loses a lot of money in resolving the matter.
Kandetu said this on Monday in an interview with The Villager, stating that the national assembly opened no ACC case against two officials who had embezzled N$1.2 million.
While a police case was opened against one of the officials who worked at the national assembly’s finance department. This comes after the former mayor, Job Amupanda demanded answers for the corruption that had taken place without the ACC being alerted.
“When these things are happening, if you report to the police, the person will go to jail at the end of the day, you involve
lawyers. The government ends up paying a lot of money to lawyers, and then the court might find the person guilty, but in the end, the government ends up losing out. According to Kandetu, the ACC only came in later.
“We did not call in the ACC. We reported to the police in one case, but in the other cases, we did not because we had a reason,” Kandetu said.
PDM member of parliament Celeste Becker fingered Jason Naule and Paulus Nathinge, two former accountants at the national assembly’s finance department in the matter. Nathinge resigned last year when it came to light that he embezzled almost a million dollars for one financial year. Another alleged culprit is Pietie Husselmann, who was a director of legal services.
Husselmann resigned two years. Becker said, “Shetu was also an accountant at National Council (and) he also resigned some years back on embezzlement of institutional funds. None of these cases were reported to ACC nor were police cases opened.”
Kandetu stressed that they have rules and regulations that govern them.
“So it’s either you go the ACC way, or you can take the way of the finance act through the treasury instructions. In the treasury instructions, some clauses state that the accounting officer can try to collect this money.”
She added that this is a very complex case; thus, she said nothing was done about the matter that was reported to the police.
“The one case that we have reported to police until now, nothing happened, and the person resigned anyway, but the police has the person’s details. What the police will do with the person is their problem.”
Kandetu said they have uncovered one portion of the embezzled money.
“The person admitted guilt. After we recovered the money, we wrote to the ACC to inform them that this happened and what we did.” She added that it is up to ACC to see further what they will do.
HOW THE N$1.2M WAS STOLEN
Speaking on Monday, she said that one staff member was paying himself Sustenance and Transport (SNT) money.
“When I came to work at the NA, I found only two staff members in the finance department, which means that these two staff members were interchanging. The other one will upload, and one will approve the payment,” she emphasised.
Kandetu said the national assembly only realised this later.
“When I came there, I reported the case to the finance ministry and immediately we took action. So those cases happened about four years back.”
She added that when the two officials resigned, the system was changed.
“Then I got some enforcement of other staff members, so there was no need for them to interchange of approving and uploading. More staff members came in, meaning that it was closed if they were a loophole.”
She also said the names of the officials were released when the national assembly wrote letters to the ACC and treasury. “We did not release them to the public because that is not the rule to follow. But to the staff members working there, we have released them.”
IT IS THE YOUNG DOING IT
Kandetu further said young staff members mostly commit corrupt dealings.
“We are here, and our eyes are open now, especially from my side because it’s me who discovered them in most of these cases,” she expressed. In this vein, she said the National Assembly is trying to uncover whether there are previous cases that they have not noticed. “We are trying everything that we can do to uncover that. There are staff members that were working there that are not there anymore. We are just checking whether they were also some cases that went through the hands of the previous secretary that we can discover now. We are on the ball right now,” added Kandetu.
She further said that this was the first time money was misappropriated at the state entity.
Quizzed on why the national assembly only responded after the former mayor raised questions, she said, “We don’t go to the media and inform them that this is what happened in the ministry. We are not hiding these things. If somebody asks for it, then we give them the information. The staff knew, and the members knew, so it’s an open thing,” she lauded.
NOA MUM ON ACC CASE
Meanwhile, the director-general of the ACC, Paulus Noa, said he was out of town and would have to confirm on the system when asked whether a case was opened in the matter.
“I have to confirm in the system and find out what exactly was reported to ACC and the nature of the allegations. Then I can be better positioned to give you full information on what has been reported to us and if anything was done and what has been done,” said Noa.
Noa said if the details have not been reported, the ACC will seek to approach the necessary institution. “If the allegations of embezzlement are true, then definitely, ACC will investigate in respect to whether or not the money has been paid back.”
NATIONAL COUNCIL DEFENDS CORRUPT ALLEGATIONS
Meanwhile, the National Council said they discovered payments were made on the IFMS electronic system without proper supporting documents in August 2019.
The council said they opened an internal investigation in a letter released on Monday. The council further said it reported the matter to the ACC.
“Having received advice from ACC, based on the facts of the matter, to report to the Namibian police, the Secretary to National Secretary made a report, with a comprehensive affidavit and supporting documents, to the Serious Crime Unit of the Namibian Police,” the letter reads.
The council also said the matter was reported to the treasury and the auditor-general.
“We received a report from the police that the suspect was arrested and appeared in the Windhoek Magistrates Court, and the matter was postponed to 16 May 2022 for preliminary plea proceedings.”
It also said that the asset forfeiture unit would ensure that the losses are properly recovered.
“We assure the public that as National Council, we will continue to safeguard all public assets entrusted in the custody of the National Council.
MORE MILLIONS MISSING
Amupanda had said that parliament does not take the people of Namibia seriously.
He added that Namibian citizens deserve to know the truth about corruption dealings and called it a ‘cover-up’.
He said that the dealings misappropriated more than N$5 million and not merely N$1.2 million.
“They deserve to know that Parliamentary leaders have been covering up corruption on this matter for close to three years from the case of that one who bought cellphones for his multiple girlfriends with parliament money. The people of Namibia deserve to know that parliamentary leaders have contravened the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act,” he stressed.
Amupanda added that it is clear that corruption indeed took place at the national assembly, and the crime, baptised only as ‘financial irregularities’, has not been reported to the police or the ACC.
“It is clear that parliamentary leaders knew and actively worked to organise smooth passage and landing for culprits on numerous occasions.”
He further claimed that there were employees who stole lesser amounts at the national assembly.
“For these, police cases were opened. They were arrested and convicted. Did these ones perhaps share the spoils with
parliamentary leaders, causing parliamentary leaders to organise smooth passages and landing?” he questioned.
In this light, he called on the speaker of the national assembly and the administration of parliament to share full details with the people of Namibia.
“Failure to do so will result in dire consequences.”
NA DENIES A COVER-UP
In the meantime, the national assembly has denied accusations of a cover-up but said three officials were found to have misappropriated N$ 1 243 107.94.
It further said these cases were dealt with according to the set regulations governing government institutions.
“One of the implicated staff members has been discharged, and money has been recovered from the member’s pension. Another
staff member has resigned, and money has been recovered from his retirement and leave a gratuity, and the third staff member has resigned, and the recovery process of state monies involved is underway.”
“The allegations levelled against the institution are devoid of any truth and only seek to mislead the public. No multimillion
corruption has taken place at the National Assembly, as alleged by Job Amupanda on his social media platforms. Nor has the institution covered up corruption,” said the national assembly.
Meanwhile, former ACC head of investigations and director of National Forensic Science Institute of Namibia (NFSI) Nelius Becker said how the national assembly handled the matter could set a precedent for future crimes.
“What was procured with the stolen funds? Criminal matters should have been registered and investigated and action taken in terms of POCA to recover proceeds of crime. How will future crimes be handled?”
