Avid culprits finally face sentencing

Thirteen years after the Social Security Commission (SSC) was swindled out of N$30 million by a group of politically connected Swapo politicians and their cohorts, five accused - amongst them a former ruling party deputy minister and a youth leader - will finally hear if they will go to jail for their crimes.High Court Judge Christie Liebenberg is expected to sentence former works deputy minister Paulus Kapia, accountant Inez /Gâses and former Swapo youth leader Ralph Blaauw, who were earlier found guilty of fraud. One of the kingpins in the matter, Nico Josea, was found guilty of theft by conversion, while Sharon Blaauw, Ralph’s wife, will be sentenced for reckless business conduct.They have all been conclusively linked and found guilty on 11 May of being involved in the defrauding of the SSC using the Avid Investment Corporation, with which the commission was convinced to invest its money in 2005.Among the announced 66 witnesses in the trial was Christophine Ndapewa Kandara, the widow of Lazarus Kandara, whose shadow has hung over the courtroom, despite his alleged suicide also near 13 years ago.Kandara mysteriously ended his own life in front of the Windhoek police station by shooting himself on 24 August 2005 at around 20:30.The flamboyant and connected businessman had promised during an Avid liquidation hearing before his arrest in 2005, that he would “spill the beans” by revealing the names of people who helped him siphon off N$30 million from the SSC. Many people believe that was actually the reason he was allegedly ‘assassinated’.Shortly after the N$30 million was transferred to Avid, N$29.5 million was paid into Josea’s company, Namangol Investments, account.Liebenberg found in his judgement that Josea and the South African investment broker Alan Rosenberg had been in cahoots with Kandara, who concocted the scheme to swindle money out of the SCC.Blaauw, who is a former secretary-general of the National Youth Council, is alleged to have touted Avid’ political links to persuade SSC executives to invest N$30 million with the then newly-created company.During the trial he had disputed testimony that he had told SSC managers that both Swapo and former President Sam Nujoma held stakes in Avid, while trying to convince the SSC management to invest.“There is overwhelming evidence that the SSC funds invested with Avid were stolen and that the theft was a co-perpetrated,” Liebenberg said in his May judgement.Kapia, /Gâses and Ralph Blaauw will be sentenced for fraud and face the imminent prospect of jail term.The court found that although the three did not know the money was going to be stolen, they knowingly made representations to the SCC, in an effort to persuade it that the N$30 million investment would be safeguarded.In the case of Sharon Blaauw, the court found she signed resolutions of the Avid board, which were presented to SSC in an attempt to calm the commission regarding the safety of its investment. The court found she did not acquaint herself with the correctness of those documents.Kapia testified in his mitigation of sentence that he is politically and financially a ruined man. He pleaded for mercy and asked for a suspended sentence.His lawyer Sisa Namandje said Kapia had no intention to cause a loss to the SSC. He also described how Kapia had fallen from grace, politically.Kapia was forced to resign as deputy minister in August 2005. “It was a big, bad political fall,” Namandje said.“He lost that position to which he was appointed a few months before and subsequently his house in Pionierspark, after he resigned from his position.”Two other accused Otniel Podewiltz, and retired defence force brigadier Mathias Shiweda were acquitted after state could not prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.FRED GOEIEMAN

Avid culprits finally face sentencing

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

Please login to leave a comment

Avid culprits finally face sentencing

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

Please login to leave a comment

Login