REHOBOTH – Former CEO of the Rehoboth Town Council and Swapo Party stalwart in Hardap, Theo Jankowski, recently appeared in the Rehoboth Regional Court on allegations of corruption.
Jankowski was arraigned under the ACC Act.
Jankowski, 64, allegedly chaired the tender board meeting that awarded a tender to Orion Construction, which belongs to the father-in-law of his son, and did not recuse himself or declare his interest when the road construction tender was awarded.
Jankowski who by virtue of his position as CEO allegedly partook in deliberations which were also recorded.
This allegedly did not go down well with the other members of the tender board as well as the bidders who reported the matter to the ACC.
The former administrator who also doubles as the Swapo Party district information and mobilization corodinator for the Rehoboth East
Constituency was allegedly in the know that his act constitutes corruption as prior to the meeting he had informed some members that his relative tendered for the job.
One of the key state witnesses in the case, Rehoboth Acting CEO Willie Swartz – who served under Jankowski as a senior manager for human resources – told the court that tender board members met before the proceedings and Jankowski indeed declared his interest.
“We met in Mr Jankowski’s office and he declared his interest but we mutually agreed that it is not necessary, so we told him that there was no need as the bidder in question was remotely related to the former CEO.”
When asked if he was aware that it is a criminal offence and punishable by the country’s laws not to declare interest or for corruptly using an office or position for gratification, Swartz answered in the affirmative.
Swarts then told the court the awarding of the tender to Orion Construction was procedurally and substantially correct in terms of pricing and presenting the needed requirements.
Jankowski retired early this year from the council after serving the institution for more than five years during which he was also suspended for a long period due to political infighting the council experienced.
Magistrate Dina Usiku heard the case after Maketo Constructions cc, which was allegedly recommended by the town’s engineers, lost out on the bid and approached the ACC to intervene.
Usiku, after hearing the case for five days, then remanded the case to February 15 2015 for more witnesses and trial.