SWAKOPMUND- The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) says it has concluded its corruption investigation against the suspended Omaruru councillors.
The docket of the alleged corruption case, which has been investigated since December 2012, according to ACC officials, is currently with the prosecutor general who will have the final say on the investigation.
The suspended councillors are Phillip Nghipandulwa, Tuli Gebhardt and Johannes Hamutenya from Swapo, deputy mayor Albertus Naruseb of RDP, UDF’s Christiaan Nanuseb who also served as the chairman of the management committee and the mayor Vincent Kahua, who served on a Nudo ticket.
The councillors were suspended on December 17 2013 without pay by the former Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development Minister Charles Namoloh. The suspensions followed the councillors failing to implement several of the minister’s recommendations.
The recommendations were made after irregularities were unearthed by a ministerial investigation into the activities of the council. The investigation unearthed shocking irregularities involving some councillors who allegedly acquired municipal campsites for themselves as well as tailor-made houses through the Build Together housing scheme.
Also commenting on another case, the chief investigating officer of the ACC, Walter Kurz, said that investigating the alleged corruption against the Topnaar chief Seth Kooitjie is complex in the sense that some of the allegations date back as far as 15 years ago.
“This case is very complicated as we have to collect documentation that is at least 15 years old.
We will only proceed with the investigation once we have collected and studied all the material linked to the allegations. This could be a lengthy process,” he explained.
Chief Kooitjie is being accused of embezzling community funds. The ACC launched investigations against him two years ago.
The Topnaars reside about 60 kilometres outside Walvis Bay and mainly survive from farming and selling !nara seeds.