{"id":80193,"date":"2024-11-06T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/nimt-hunts-muellers-estate"},"modified":"2024-11-06T12:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T12:15:00","slug":"nimt-hunts-muellers-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/nimt-hunts-muellers-estate","title":{"rendered":"NIMT hunts Mueller\u2019s estate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>The Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) has taken steps to recover more than N$1 million, allegedly misappropriated through a law firm owned by their late executive director Eckhardt Mueller\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

The board is expected to file a civil claim against Mueller\u2019s estate to recover the funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trustees have resolved to institute a civil claim against the implicated individual(s), and instructions have already been given to our legal representatives to proceed with same. Our legal practitioners are busy executing instructions and will report to us, as and when progress is made,\u201d NIMT spokesperson Brumilda Britz told New Era yesterday. No further details about the matter can be shared at this stage.<\/p>\n

This development follows a recommendation from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to retrieve funds reportedly diverted from the institution.<\/p>\n

ACC director general Paulus Noa said in a letter to Britz last week donor funds meant to assist students and improve campus infrastructure had been allegedly misappropriated under Mueller\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

In 2019, a 27-page document detailing misappropriations totalling more than N$3 million was presented to the ACC. Among these, a N$2 million donation from Swiss-based BTrading GmbH, designated for scholarships, was reportedly never received by NIMT.<\/p>\n

Another N$1.2 million donation from De Beers in 2007 also allegedly failed to reach the institute\u2019s accounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese funds were specifically intended to support NIMT\u2019s educational mission, including plans for a new campus in northern Namibia. It\u2019s essential that the institution retrieves these assets and ensures they are used for their intended purposes,\u201d Noa\u2019s letter stated at the time.<\/p>\n

The ACC said, the law firm Mueller Legal Practitioners, owned by Mueller\u2019s son, Richard Mueller, handled some of NIMT\u2019s legal matters without a competitive tendering process.<\/p>\n

The firm reportedly received more than N$1 million, including interest, while Eckhardt Mueller served as the sole signatory to the NIMT account. The firm was declared insolvent in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn line with the ACC\u2019s mandate to recover misappropriated funds, the board should consider a civil claim against Mueller\u2019s estate and his son\u2019s legal firm to recoup the outlined amount,\u201d Noa advised.<\/p>\n

Richard Mueller\u2019s firm has faced separate allegations of misappropriating clients\u2019 funds.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Namibia Wildlife Resorts deposited more than N$1.5 million into the firm\u2019s trust account, which was allegedly never returned. Due to the missing funds, the Windhoek High Court suspended Richard Mueller\u2019s practice, and the Law Society of Namibia sought to liquidate the firm.<\/p>\n

Noa last week addressed concerns regarding the lengthy investigation, stating that initial reports to the ACC involved general allegations of administrative and governance issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe then took these up with the NIMT board since the ACC could not find specific allegations pointing to criminal corruption,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cOur focus was on criminal conduct, not administrative disagreements… In conducting criminal investigations, the ACC follows all pertinent steps and procedures to ensure the investigation is not compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe letter I wrote is for the consideration of the board to make an appropriate decision to recover the costs the institution suffered due to financial mismanagement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the corruption docket has been submitted to the prosecutor-general for further action.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. The Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) has taken steps to recover more than N$1 million, allegedly misappropriated through a law firm owned by their late executive director Eckhardt Mueller\u2019s son. The board is expected to file a civil claim against Mueller\u2019s estate to recover the funds. \u201cThe trustees have resolved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":80192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-80193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nNIMT hunts Mueller\u2019s estate - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/nimt-hunts-muellers-estate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NIMT hunts Mueller\u2019s estate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Namibia. 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