ACC summons Namcor board, Matthews quits

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is expected to finish interviewing individual board members of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) today over their role in an Angolan oil joint venture in which the company has a stake.

In the meantime, the company has failed to appoint banker Lionel Matthews as its acting managing director after a protracted process over his alleged salary demands and amid allegations of conflict of interest. Current acting managing director Shiwana Ndeunyema will continue in the interim role until further notice.

Namcor board chairperson Jennifer Comalie was the first to be interviewed, before other directors, including deputy chairperson Tim Ekandjo, were also summoned.

ACC wants to establish whether the N$100 million allegedly paid towards an oil block in Angola has indeed reached the intended recipient – Angolan national oil company Sonangol. The payment was allegedly made by suspended Namcor managing director Imms Mulunga without proper board authorisation.

This was after the board had earlier approved Namcor’s acquisition of a stake in the oil block through a joint venture to which Mulunga was appointed by the board as a director, representing Namcor’s interest.

ACC also wants to establish whether the funds’ transfer constitutes corruption or a governance issue that Namcor can deal with internally.

Charges

The money transfer does not form part of the three charges Mulunga is facing, which include allegedly leaking information to the media. Another charge relates to alleged stock loss at Namcor, as well as Mulunga’s decision to issue a confirmatory affidavit involving Namcor’s chief financial officer Jennifer Hamukwaya, who is fighting for the renewal of her contract.

Mulunga is understood to have maintained his innocence, laughing off the charges as ‘flimsy’ and rooted in personal vendettas.

Namcor board members are being interviewed individually, with the ACC trying to establish consistency in their versions of events – amid allegations that the company is rocked by personal fights rather than substantive violations.

ACC director-general Paulus Noa told Namibian Sun that they will compare the broad’s version with that of Mulunga, as far as the money transferred to Angola is concerned.

Mulunga, who was suspended with full pay, was also recently summoned by the ACC to explain the transfer.

The Namcor board roped in a South African commercial law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr to investigate the transaction, and a report by its lead investigator, Megan Rodgers, found that Mulunga did not act in bad faith, but should have gotten approval for the transaction.

It is believed that if ACC is satisfied that the funds had indeed reached Sonangol, it will no longer pursue the matter further as this would mean no corruption was detected.

Intent

But according to Noa, the ACC has not reached any conclusions in the matter yet.

“We have to listen to all sides of the story and they need to give us information which perhaps Mr Mulunga has not given us. We must also see whether what the CEO is telling us is [consistent] with what the board members gave us.

"We have to establish whether there was any intention to commit criminal activity,” he said.

“If we find that there was intention to commit criminal activity, then we will have to take it to the authorities and they will decide whether someone will have to be prosecuted. But if not, we will just deal with it as per our mandate."

Life 'disrupted enough'

Namibian Sun understands Matthews, an advisor to finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi, was offered a N$270 000 monthly salary.

The Namibian last week reported that he wanted N$350 000 per month.

But while negotiations were underway, reports emerged that Matthews was conflicted because he was an advisor to a consortium that won a N$1 billion contract from Namcor.

Yesterday he refused to answer whether he pulled out due to lack of consensus over the salary or because of the alleged conflict of interest.

“I have no comment any further on this matter. My life and that of my family has been disrupted enough,” he said.

Ndeunyema also refused to comment.

Namibian Sun understands he was asked to indicate whether he intends on continuing in the position, but Ndeunyema – who is allegedly uncomfortable with the current infighting - has yet to confirm his appetite for the job.

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