ACC is weak – Schlettwein
Finance minister Calle Schlettwein has raised concern about the effectiveness of the anti-graft agency and its ability to prosecute corruption cases.
According to Schlettwein, the Anti-Corruption Commission will need to become autonomous for it to effectively tackle cases of corruption. He was speaking during a post-mid-term-budget discussion held on Friday.
This was in response to a query by businessman Koos Ferreira, who questioned the ACC's role in tackling corruption.
Schlettwein said the ACC was inadequately funded to carry out its mandate and suggested it should become autonomous.
“The ACC needs to become autonomous, it needs to be strengthened. They are weak in my opinion,” Schlettwein said.
Another concern raised by Schlettwein was that the ACC could not independently prosecute, rendering it helpless.
“If the ACC does not have the power to prosecute, that becomes a problem in my opinion,” he added.
“Its ability to fend for its own cases is an important one.”
The ACC recently stopped an investigation into alleged exorbitant fees paid by the government to lawyers based in the United Kingdom for legal advice on genocide reparations.
About N$47 million was reportedly paid to these lawyers, who assisted attorney-general Sacky Shanghala to establish whether Namibia's case against Germany was strong.
Schlettwein recently wrote to the ACC to voice his displeasure at its decision to drop an investigation into the matter.
“The recent announcement in The Namibian newspaper not to investigate the matter of payments to British lawyers is the reason for me writing to you, and to voice my disappointment in the manner the issue mentioned above was dealt with,” Schlettwein wrote.
ACC director-general Paulus Noa was quoted as saying that the investigation was closed because there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing in the payment of the lawyers. “They were contracted and paid for the work they did,” he said.
?OGONE TLHAGE
According to Schlettwein, the Anti-Corruption Commission will need to become autonomous for it to effectively tackle cases of corruption. He was speaking during a post-mid-term-budget discussion held on Friday.
This was in response to a query by businessman Koos Ferreira, who questioned the ACC's role in tackling corruption.
Schlettwein said the ACC was inadequately funded to carry out its mandate and suggested it should become autonomous.
“The ACC needs to become autonomous, it needs to be strengthened. They are weak in my opinion,” Schlettwein said.
Another concern raised by Schlettwein was that the ACC could not independently prosecute, rendering it helpless.
“If the ACC does not have the power to prosecute, that becomes a problem in my opinion,” he added.
“Its ability to fend for its own cases is an important one.”
The ACC recently stopped an investigation into alleged exorbitant fees paid by the government to lawyers based in the United Kingdom for legal advice on genocide reparations.
About N$47 million was reportedly paid to these lawyers, who assisted attorney-general Sacky Shanghala to establish whether Namibia's case against Germany was strong.
Schlettwein recently wrote to the ACC to voice his displeasure at its decision to drop an investigation into the matter.
“The recent announcement in The Namibian newspaper not to investigate the matter of payments to British lawyers is the reason for me writing to you, and to voice my disappointment in the manner the issue mentioned above was dealt with,” Schlettwein wrote.
ACC director-general Paulus Noa was quoted as saying that the investigation was closed because there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing in the payment of the lawyers. “They were contracted and paid for the work they did,” he said.
?OGONE TLHAGE
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