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By Sonja Smith 5 August 2024 The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) says no criminal evidence was found against the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) executives who bought luxury vehicles. The ACC conducted a probe after a request from Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) general secretary Petrus Nevonga on 28 February this year. ACC director general Paulus Noa, in a letter addressed to Napwu two weeks ago, said the investigation of the parastatal found no criminal evidence. “ACC could not find criminal evidence that may justify the submission of the docket to the prosecutor general for criminal prosecution. The minister and the board exercised their oversight and administrative authorities when they approved the vehicle scheme as part of the fringe benefits for the executives,” Noa said. The Namibian reported in...

By Sonja Smith 18 March 2024 Businesswoman Tania Hangula has agreed to pay back N$4 million of the N$6,6 million she benefited from the now defunct Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Bank. Hangula received N$6,6 million from the bank between 2015 and 2019 – some of which was used to purchase a beach property, a Mercedes-Benz and to fund her trips to Dubai and other countries. Hangula is said to have been reluctant to pay back the money over the years, but last month changed her mind. She has now agreed to refund the bank in installments starting in September this year, until 2029. This is according to the settlement agreement, dated 8 March 2024, between herself and the SME Bank’s liquidators – Ian McLaren and David Bruni. “The...

• SONJA SMITH, SHINOVENE IMMANUEL and TILENI MONGUDHI THE National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) is embroiled in a dirty power struggle between its board chairperson Jennifer Comalie and managing director Immanuel Mulunga over the control of the state-owned oil company. Comalie is accused of interfering in operational matters after she instructed Mulunga to act fast on a dispute involving a friend of hers – also a businessman. She is also accused of pushing Namcor into a hydrogen deal despite concerns from managers about the terms of the partnership. Mulunga is accused of turning a blind eye to allegations against one of Namcor’s influential executives. He is also accused of making a N$100 million payment without the board’s approval. Comalie has denied any wrongdoing, while Mulunga has declined to...

• SONJA SMITH, TILENI MONGUDHI and SHINOVENE IMMANUEL THE National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) board is investigating its managing director, Immanuel Mulunga, over his involvement in a payment of N$100 million for two Angolan oil blocks. Namcor will co-own the oil blocks with Angola’s state-owned oil entity, Sonangol, and two other partners in a joint venture known as Sungara Energies. The probe is said to be linked to an ongoing fierce power struggle between Namcor board chairperson Jennifer Comalie and the parastatal’s managing director, Immanuel Mulunga. Namcor is currently the government’s vehicle in major oil discoveries off Nambia’s coast, including being part of three oil discoveries linked to Shell, Qatar Energy and Chevron. But it’s a deal that Namcor got itself into in Angola that has attracted attention of the board.

• SONJA SMITH, SHINOVENE IMMANUEL DEPUTY prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declined an offer by president Hage Geingob to be appointed as Namibia’s prime minister. Sources said Nandi-Ndaitwah also requested that Geingob remove the international relations portfolio from her list of duties. Geingob subsequently decided to retain his current top three, including vice president Nangolo Mbumba, prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and Nandi-Ndaitwah, who remains fourth in terms of state power. Nandi-Ndaitwah’s supporters said she prefers being vice president in order to prepare for the Presidency if the ruling party wins next year’s national elections. They point to former president Hifikepunye Pohamba’s decision to appoint then trade minister, Geingob as prime minister, after the 2012 congress. At the time, the prime minister was the second most powerful position in the government.

• SONJA SMITH FORMER Ovaherero paramount chief Kuaima Riruako’s children are battling to finalise their father’s estate. The battle includes concerns about profits from a fishing company he co-owned. Riruako died in June 2014, ending his 35-year reign of the traditional authority at the age of 79. He became the paramount chief after his cousin Clemens Kapuuo was assassinated in 1978. His estate, seen by The Namibian, provides insight into the former leader’s assets valued at N$3,2 million.This includes cattle, cars, and firearms. Riruako, a former member of parliament, did not leave a will that could be used to disburse his assets.He is survived by his wife, Enesia Riruako, and 16 children. His family says they are struggling to finalise his estate – eight years after...

• SONJA SMITH and SHINOVENE IMMANUEL A CENTRAL Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) bid evaluator was involved in awarding a N$48 million Ministry of Health and Social Services tender to a close corporation owned by her relative when bidding closed last year.Yesterday, the board stated it had no knowledge of the connection between the company and the individual responsible for evaluating tenders, as it had not been disclosed. Additionally, documents reveal that the company at the centre of the controversy underwent a change of ownership in August – just two weeks after the tender process was closed. This was also three weeks after the company submitted its bids to the procurement board.This development adds more question marks to the N$2,4 billion health tenders which have attracted public attention since last month. The origin of this...

• SONJA SMITH A CLOSE corporation which employs one person and is owned by former TransNamib chief executive Saara Katiti’s daughter scooped health tenders worth N$141 million last month to supply medical products to the health ministry.The close corporation Taliindje Investment CC of Helena Figura, who is Katiti’s daughter, is the second biggest beneficiary from the controversial medical tenders worth N$2,8 billion awarded by the Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) last month. The tender awards include a tender worth N$650 million awarded to a company owned by businessman Shapwa Kanyama. There are concerns these health tenders – which attracted over 20 objections – were dominated by a clique of well-connected Namibians and their proxies. Katiti herself benefited from the same tenders worth N$2,8 billion through her close corporation, which was awarded tenders worth around N$6,4 million. The...

By Sonja Smith | 20 January 2023 AGRO-MARKETING and Trade Agency (Amta) managing director Lucas Lungameni has been found guilty on eight counts of misconduct, including the disappearance of around N$6,2 million from the national agriculture company. Lungameni was suspended last year for alleged irregularities at the entity that faced allegations of corruption over the past decade. He denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to defend his case.The board appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in June last year to conduct an investigation into the company. The charges Lungameni faces include failing to protect the interests of the company, failing to act with due diligence, breach of trust and gross negligence. Documents seen by The Namibian show that a disciplinary process led by lawyer Profysen Muluti, dated 14 November 2022, found Lungameni guilty of all eight counts...

By Sonja Smith | 14 December 2022 LAWYER Sisa Namandje has defended his decision to recruit the daughter of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general Paulus Noa – the man who investigated him over the laundering of N$23 million which was allegedly stolen from the government. Namandje’s law firm recruited Martha Noa (25) as a candidate attorney last year after she graduated with a masters degree in commercial law at the University of Cape Town in 2020. Namandje has over the past 18 years trained 30 candidate attorneys – including Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s son Ndelitungapo Ndaitwah, who worked for Sisa Namandje and Co until April last year. However, Namandje’s decision to bring in Noa’s daughter has raised eyebrows among political commentators and officials in the legal fraternity over a potential conflict of interest.