Africa-Press – Namibia. “THERE is no small or big corruption at the ACC [Anti-Corruption Commission]; whether it is N$1 or N$1 million, it is all the same for us.”
This is according to the senior investigating officer of ACC, Albert Zaako, who was speaking at the regional forum on the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan 2021-25 implementation held at Katima Mulilo on Tuesday.
Zaako said gratification cases are straightforward, but the ACC has to make sure that proper investigations are done so that when arrests are made, the charges stick.
He also revealed that the ACC is investigating several cases of use of office for gratification involving government workers in the Zambezi region.
The aim of the regional forum is to inform the stakeholders on the progress made in the implementation of the new anti-corruption plan, which was launched in March and is a platform to discuss issues of governance, ethics, and corruption in the region.
He explained that whether a government official is allocating a tender or an employment using the office to benefit themselves or a third party, they are guilty of gratification.
“We are slow or deemed not there because we have to consider all the laws while we are doing our investigations.
He revealed that the ACC is investigating three cases at the Zambezi Regional Council, namely awarding of tenders without following the procurement processes, senior officials occupying government houses yet they are receiving housing, allegedly allowances and seniors claiming and receiving subsistence and travel allowances from the council while their trips were sponsored. There are also allegations that regional council employees are awarding tenders to their own companies.
In the Linyanti constituency, buildings that were donated to the community are being allegedly rented for N$90 000 and individuals are receiving payments for their personal benefit.
Meanwhile, at Ngoma Border Post, a former customs employee isreported to have fraudulently issued a validation of export to clear vehicles that were in transit to Zimbabwe.
As for the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, recruitment is allegedly being done without advertisements and interviews, while the control officer and grain administrator at the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency sold 80 tonnes of grain to a private company and requested payment into their private accounts.
According to Zaako, two cases are also being investigated at the Katima Mulilo Town Council where an employee was reportedly paid for a plot, but pocketed the money without registering the plot in the complainant’s name.
Additionally, a town council traffic officer received money from a client who was fined by the council, but converted the money to personal use.
Stakeholders in attendance urged the ACC to also look into the allocation of communal land and the recruitment process at the regional education directorate.
This is according to the senior investigating officer of ACC, Albert Zaako, who was speaking at the regional forum on the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan 2021-25 implementation held at Katima Mulilo on Tuesday.
Zaako said gratification cases are straightforward, but the ACC has to make sure that proper investigations are done so that when arrests are made, the charges stick.
He also revealed that the ACC is investigating several cases of use of office for gratification involving government workers in the Zambezi region.
The aim of the regional forum is to inform the stakeholders on the progress made in the implementation of the new anti-corruption plan, which was launched in March and is a platform to discuss issues of governance, ethics, and corruption in the region.
He explained that whether a government official is allocating a tender or an employment using the office to benefit themselves or a third party, they are guilty of gratification.
“We are slow or deemed not there because we have to consider all the laws while we are doing our investigations.
He revealed that the ACC is investigating three cases at the Zambezi Regional Council, namely awarding of tenders without following the procurement processes, senior officials occupying government houses yet they are receiving housing, allegedly allowances and seniors claiming and receiving subsistence and travel allowances from the council while their trips were sponsored. There are also allegations that regional council employees are awarding tenders to their own companies.
In the Linyanti constituency, buildings that were donated to the community are being allegedly rented for N$90 000 and individuals are receiving payments for their personal benefit.
Meanwhile, at Ngoma Border Post, a former customs employee isreported to have fraudulently issued a validation of export to clear vehicles that were in transit to Zimbabwe.
As for the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, recruitment is allegedly being done without advertisements and interviews, while the control officer and grain administrator at the Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency sold 80 tonnes of grain to a private company and requested payment into their private accounts.
According to Zaako, two cases are also being investigated at the Katima Mulilo Town Council where an employee was reportedly paid for a plot, but pocketed the money without registering the plot in the complainant’s name.
Additionally, a town council traffic officer received money from a client who was fined by the council, but converted the money to personal use.
Stakeholders in attendance urged the ACC to also look into the allocation of communal land and the recruitment process at the regional education directorate.
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