By Frederick Philander WINDHOEK The board of the First National Bank of Namibia will next week announce the successful candidate for the two CEO positions it advertised late last year. The bank has been keeping the information tightly under wraps and has not been prepared to avail information on who was short-lised. However, speculation has been rife that some of the top brass in local financial circles had been short-listed for appointment as Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank. Among those allegedly on the short list were the present Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and current Chief Executive Officer of Nampower Dr Leake Hangala, whose contract is about to expire. New Era has reliably learned that an appointment of CEO for FNB has already been finalised and that a South African male from Rand Merchant Bank will fill the position in June this year. According to the acting CEO of First National Bank, John Macaskil, the bank last year decided to appoint two Ceo’s, one for the bank and the other for holdings. The chairperson of FNB, Dieter Voigt, yesterday telephonically denied that his board had made such an appointment. “Sorry, I cannot confirm such an appointment. However, next week the board is expected to issue a public statement in this regard,” said Voigt. He also denied knowledge about the present minister of finance and the present CEO of NamPower being short-listed for the post of FNB Holdings, “I cannot confirm this either,” Voigt said. When asked, the minister of Finance denied that FNB had ever made a CEO position available to her, nor has she ever applied for such a post. “As far as I know, no local commercial bank would ever consider appointing a serving minister of finance in such a position, let alone me,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said when approached for comment. Hangala was, according to his secretary, still on leave until January 23. Speculation also abounds that the present CEO of Sanlam, advocate Vekuii Rukoro, has shown some serious interest in the FNB post, for which he apparently applied. The Sanlam strongman could yesterday not be telephonically contacted at his office to confirm or deny the allegations. FNB chairman Voigt also denied any knowledge of an application by Rukoro. It thus seems that pundits and speculators will have to wait for the bank’s public announcement next week for the post that became vacant in September last year after the tragic death of its CEO, Lazarus Ipangelwa in a car accident. The CEO position of Nedbank had also been advertised following the exit of Martin Shipanga also late last year. Other two parastatals also hunting for chief executives are NamPower and the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation. Both companies have advertised the vacancies.