Two arrested in N$3m ACC impersonation scam
Ex-varsity employee and firefighter nabbed
Two well-known Windhoek residents promised, amongst other things, to cancel a warrant of arrest supposedly issued against a former advisor to the mines minister.
Two well-known men, one of them a former senior employee of a local university and the other a senior municipal fire brigade officer, were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Wednesday after they allegedly presented themselves as ACC agents in an attempt to extort N$3 million from a local businessman.
The duo, aged 42 and 49, are scheduled to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court today for allegedly impersonating ACC officers.
Taking chances
It is alleged that the pair approached the complainant, Ralph Muyamba, the former technical adviser of mines minister Tom Alweendo, and allegedly offered to destroy a case docket in exchange for a N$3 million bribe.
ACC director general Paulus Noa, who confirmed the arrests when contacted yesterday, cautioned members of the public to refrain from such acts because "if you take chances, ACC will deal with you and make sure you are brought before the courts.
"When people see there is a chance to make money in certain cases, they try all kinds of things; remember, even in the Fishrot matter, we had a similar incident," Noa said.
Headline alert
Muyamba hit newspaper front pages recently after he was reported to the ACC over allegations related to a N$50 million bribe allegedly paid by a Chinese company to access a sought-after lithium mining concession.
The two men allegedly called him on the phone and proposed that he pay them N$3 million in order to destroy his case file. They also promised to cancel a supposed warrant of arrest issued in his name.
When Muyamba hesitated, they allegedly reduced their demand to N$1.5 million. Muyamba allegedly notified the ACC that their agents were extorting money from him, after which a sting operation was put into motion to catch the two men.
Easily recognised
After agreeing to meet at a particular venue, the two men immediately recognised the ACC agents – the actual ones – and fled.
"They were told to report themselves at the ACC office because they are well known and can’t hide. That’s when they showed up and were arrested," an official close to the matter told Namibian Sun.
The two men, whose names cannot be revealed until they appear in court, face possible charges of impersonating ACC officials, extortion and corruption.
Allegations
Muyamba, together with mining commissioner Erasmus Shivolo and Alweendo, was alleged to have benefitted from a N$50 million bribe paid by Chinese company Xinfeng Investment to block the renewal of an exclusive prospecting licence (EPL), which initially belonged to Karlowa Mining Enterprises.
The EPL was awarded to Orange River Mining, which belongs to Muyamba’s cousin, who sold the licence to the Chinese company immediately after getting it.
Muyamba, a geologist by training, quit his advisory job when the revelations came to the fore.
The duo, aged 42 and 49, are scheduled to appear in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court today for allegedly impersonating ACC officers.
Taking chances
It is alleged that the pair approached the complainant, Ralph Muyamba, the former technical adviser of mines minister Tom Alweendo, and allegedly offered to destroy a case docket in exchange for a N$3 million bribe.
ACC director general Paulus Noa, who confirmed the arrests when contacted yesterday, cautioned members of the public to refrain from such acts because "if you take chances, ACC will deal with you and make sure you are brought before the courts.
"When people see there is a chance to make money in certain cases, they try all kinds of things; remember, even in the Fishrot matter, we had a similar incident," Noa said.
Headline alert
Muyamba hit newspaper front pages recently after he was reported to the ACC over allegations related to a N$50 million bribe allegedly paid by a Chinese company to access a sought-after lithium mining concession.
The two men allegedly called him on the phone and proposed that he pay them N$3 million in order to destroy his case file. They also promised to cancel a supposed warrant of arrest issued in his name.
When Muyamba hesitated, they allegedly reduced their demand to N$1.5 million. Muyamba allegedly notified the ACC that their agents were extorting money from him, after which a sting operation was put into motion to catch the two men.
Easily recognised
After agreeing to meet at a particular venue, the two men immediately recognised the ACC agents – the actual ones – and fled.
"They were told to report themselves at the ACC office because they are well known and can’t hide. That’s when they showed up and were arrested," an official close to the matter told Namibian Sun.
The two men, whose names cannot be revealed until they appear in court, face possible charges of impersonating ACC officials, extortion and corruption.
Allegations
Muyamba, together with mining commissioner Erasmus Shivolo and Alweendo, was alleged to have benefitted from a N$50 million bribe paid by Chinese company Xinfeng Investment to block the renewal of an exclusive prospecting licence (EPL), which initially belonged to Karlowa Mining Enterprises.
The EPL was awarded to Orange River Mining, which belongs to Muyamba’s cousin, who sold the licence to the Chinese company immediately after getting it.
Muyamba, a geologist by training, quit his advisory job when the revelations came to the fore.
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