The Walvis Bay Town Council yesterday sent its chief executive officer, two top officials and a junior officer on indefinite leave with benefits to allow the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate alleged missing funds.
The four were sent on forced leave to pave the way for investigations into an unaccounted N$24 million from the town’s mass land servicing project.
The council made the resolution at an extraordinary meeting yesterday morning.
Last week Wednesday, the ACC confiscated electronic equipment of CEO Muronga Haingura, general manager Agostinho Victor, properties and housing manager Jack Manale and properties clerk Constance ‘Connie’ Summers.
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the council announced the suspension of the four officials to allow the investigations to be conducted “unhindered and without the threat of interference, and the possible tampering with any records and documents relating to the case”.
All municipal offices, premises and documents are off-limits to the suspended officials until further notice, said the statement.
Frans Gonteb, the general manager of finance, will act in the position of CEO for the duration of the investigation and the suspensions.
The municipality will request the minister of finance, through the Procurement Policy Unit, for exemption from the procurement processes to enable it to obtain the services of an external auditor to verify the report on the misappropriation of funds regarding the sale of erven and properties, as compiled by the department of finance, the statement said.
The council further resolved to enlist the services of a legal firm should disciplinary steps need to be initiated because of the investigation.
The chairperson of the management committee, Leroy Victor, made the proposal at the meeting attended by the town mayor Trevino Forbes, Olivia Andrews, Richard Hoaeb, Roland Bramwell, Stanley Bikeur, Albertina Nkoshi and Ephraim Shozi.
ACC spokesperson Josefina Nghituwamhata last week confirmed to The Namibian that the seizure of the equipment was in connection with the two cases against the Walvis Bay municipality.
“The allegations are lack of transparency in the mass housing project and, lately, for money that was reported lost, also related to the project,” she said.
According to Nghituwamhata, the initial allegation dates back to 2018 with the latest related to the missing N$24 million of the national massive urban land servicing project, which started in November 2016. Under the programme, 42 contractors built about 980 houses.
The Walvis Bay municipality has been in the spotlight for the alleged land deals at the town. The municipality owns properties, plants and equipment worth N$1,4 billion, which are not disclosed in the municipality’s financial report for the year ended 30 June 2018,
On 31 May 2011 council passed a resolution that no consolidation statement be prepared for entities in which the council had a significant shareholding.
The auditor general’s report, in its adverse audit opinion, revealed that the Walvis Bay municipality did not have an acceptable reporting framework in place.