Woman's lawsuit accuses intelligence service of hiding behind ‘speculative fears’

A senior foreign relations officer is suing Namibia’s intelligence service for allegedly denying her a promotion after a vetting report incorrectly claimed she had a pending case with a former employer.

Fiina Ngwedha Elago, a chief foreign relations officer at the international relations ministry, is suing the Namibia Central Intelligence Service (NCIS), saying the service cost her a top job.

According to court documents, Elago instituted civil proceedings against the intelligence service after her application for the deputy director position was allegedly rejected due to a disputed claim made by the NCIS.

An official letter from NCIS signed by director Jeff Kaupitwa stated that Elago’s security vetting could not be finalised because she supposedly had a pending case with a previous employer.

Elago has rejected the claim, maintaining that no such case exists and that the statement was false, wrongful and malicious.

In her affidavit, Elago argues that the false report caused her to lose the job opportunity, resulting in significant financial and reputational harm.

She accused the NCIS of tarnishing her credibility through negligent and unfounded vetting practices.

Elago also urged the court to dismiss the NCIS’s application for a closed hearing and to allow her claim to proceed publicly, to clear her name and to challenge what she describes as a serious injustice born out of an unfounded intelligence vetting decision.

Sensitive vetting process

Meanwhile, NCIS director general Bamba Sinsy Nghipandua filed an affidavit defending the agency’s decisions.

Nghipandua stressed that the vetting process involves highly confidential intelligence methods and sensitive national security information.

Nghipandua contended that disclosing details of the vetting procedures, intelligence sources or internal records could endanger lives and compromise Namibia’s security operations.

Hiding behind closed doors

However, Elago has strongly opposed the NCIS’s attempt to have the matter heard behind closed doors.

She insists that her lawsuit is a civil defamation and employment-related claim, not one involving classified material.

She added that public transparency is crucial to uphold her constitutional right to a fair trial.

Citing Article 12(1)(a) of the Constitution, Elago highlighted that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done. She accuses the intelligence service of invoking “speculative fears” to avoid accountability for what she describes as a baseless and damaging allegation.

Elago maintained that the NCIS has not identified any specific classified details at risk of exposure, nor has it filed pleadings containing sensitive information that would justify secrecy. Suppressing the matter from public scrutiny, she argues, would undermine confidence in the judiciary and shield the agency from accountability.

[email protected]