For far too long, the Anti-Corruption Commission was everyone’s punching bag, all bark and no bite, naysayers perennially argued.
For many, the ACC inspired little to no confidence in fighting corruption, with some accusing the anti-graft body of only going after ‘small fishes [ordinary Namibians]’ while ‘big fishes [well-connected individuals and their proxies]’ were left to loot state resources at industrial scales, scot-free.
However, if events of the last 72 hours are anything to go by, the ACC is a body awoken from its purported slumber.
Yesterday, its director general Paulus Noa, whose critics over the years opined he has overstayed his welcome, clamped down on three more individuals who are suspected of having defrauded the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor)
of millions through dubious transactions and corrupt dealings that involve fraud, racketeering, money laundering and evasion of tax laws.
He confirmed to this publication that yesterday’s operation culminated in the arrest of the Elindi brothers, Peter and Malakia, as well as Namcor’s former commercial manager Olivia Dunaiski.
“I can confirm the arrest of the Elindi brothers, Dunaiski and other individuals whom I cannot mention at the moment due to the nature of our investigations. But as we speak now, we have so far in total expanded our arrests to eight individuals linked to the Namcor situation since we started on Tuesday. Depending on new evidence, we will not hesitate to further expand our operation in order to reach anyone who is implicated,” said Noa. A day earlier, the ACC apprehended former Namcor executives Immanuel Mulunga, Jennifer Hamukwaya and Cedric Willemse, along with Hamukwaya’s husband, whose name has not yet been confirmed.
Mulunga, who is set to make his first court appearance today in relation to a string of alleged corrupt dealings worth millions while at the helm of Namcor, was arrested at his Windhoek residence late Tuesday.
The Elindi brothers are central figures in Namcor’s highly controversial deal with military contractor Enercon.
This is the same firm where the Elindi brothers served as shareholders and in 2022 received N$53 million from Namcor for a fuel supply contract and a related infrastructure business deal. The transaction, which would have allowed the national oil parastatal to take over the fuel supply contract and related infrastructure business with the Namibian Defence Force through Enercon, never materialised.
Enercon’s agreement with Namcor was cancelled due to military objections, but the company failed to repay the N$53 million immediately. This money, sources say, has since vanished into thin air, without a trace.
While at the helm of Namcor in 2022, Mulunga is alleged to have ignored internal company policies to give Enercon special treatment through credit line extensions.
In December 2023, Namcor sued Mulunga, the Elindi brothers and a retired August 26 Holdings senior executive in their personal capacities for the N$53 million losses.
It is reported that Enercon has to date not settled fuel supplies worth over N$100 million to Namcor. The company reportedly owes Namcor N$114.6 million for unsettled fuel supplies. It was recently liquidated.
One of Malakia’s wives was also taken into custody, although it remains unclear which of his two spouses was arrested.
These arrests bring the total number of people taken in over the matter to eight.