SWAKOPMUND – The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) chief executive officer Paulus Noa says some board directors collect sitting fees but fail to carry out their full mandate especially when it comes to the investigation of corruption and other irregularities at their institution.

This follows after the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (Nimt) informed the ACC that they do not have the capacity to do a forensic investigation as instructed by ACC after corruption and nepotism allegations were levelled against the institution last month.

Noa in a letter gave the board until today to answer to allegations of corruption, nepotism, embezzlement, sexual harassment and jobs for relatives at the institute. 

The 27-page document makes startling allegations of donor money to the amount of N$3 million allegedly unaccounted for by the institution. 

Also, the use of a legal firm that belongs to the Nimt executive director Eckhart Mueller’s son, without correct procedures having been followed, is also one of the claims.

However, the board chairperson of Nimt, Gabi Schneider, upon inquiry with regard to the submission of the report, told New Era that the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation will handle the matter.
“The ministry will take this matter up. Unlike ACC the Nimt board does not have the capacity for forensic investigations,” Schneider said via email.

This did not sit well with Noa who said that it has become a norm that boards pass their responsibility on to the ACC despite the fact that they as the governing bodies of institutions have the full mandate to deal with such cases accordingly.
“What is your responsibility as a board if you cannot carry out your mandate but pass it on to ACC. Why are you collecting board fees if you don’t carry out the work that you are supposed to do?” said Noa.

He noted it is high time that boards take their responsibilities seriously and act according to it, or get rid of sitting fees. 
“The ACC is not here to do your job.  You are there to oversee the operations as a governing body, or why do we even have boards of directors?”