Huang gets green light for 500 houses
Urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa says there is nothing untoward about a N$200 million property deal with money-laundering suspect Jack Huang's construction company.
Businessman and money-laundering suspect Jack Huang's company has landed yet another huge deal, which will include the servicing of over 500 plots and construction of low-cost houses at the northern town of Ondangwa.
The agreement between the Ondangwa Town Council and the Sun Investment Group, owned by Huang, was announced recently and will see the company servicing 516 plots at the town's Extension 32 and 33.
The deal, which is a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement between the two parties, is worth about N$200 million.
Urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa said there was nothing untoward about the land deal as it had been sanctioned by the attorney-general.
“The resolution of the Ondangwa town council stands and they also have cleared the agreement that they have with the company you have mentioned (Sun Investment Group).
I think it was cleared by the office of the attorney-general so I don't think there is any problem in that regard,” Shaningwa said.
“All I want is for the houses to be built. If there are any consequences to be suffered by the person or the company, that is not my interest as it was legally cleared by the office of the attorney-general.”
Huang, who is a friend and business partner of President Hage Geingob, was arrested on 1 February this year in connection with a N$3.5 billion tax evasion, fraud and money-laundering case before the Windhoek Magistrate's Court.
The Chinese national is currently out on bail of N$1 million. He is the fifth accused in the case in which Walvis Bay businessman Laurentius Julius and three other Chinese nationals are facing charges of fraud and money-laundering.
Huang and Geingob, through African Sunrise Investment, have submitted a proposal to build more than 400 apartments in Windhoek.
The Dr Hage Geingob Family Trust has a 20% in African Sunrise Investment. Ondangwa currently has a housing backlog of 4 000 units and the town council has identified housing as a priority in its five-year strategic plan.
Council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho said if entering into a PPP with Sun International Group was not above board, the line ministry would not have approved the partnership.
“Huang is just a suspect, not convicted yet, therefore I don't find it right for people to think that Ondangwa town council has entered into a PPP with a company owned by a criminal,” she argued.
“When Huang was arrested the PPP document was with the attorney-general and line ministry's office and they are the ones that gave the clearance and consent in order for us to go ahead with the partnership.
“If entering into a partnership with Sun International Group could put the council into disrepute they would not have given consent for the partnership to go ahead,” she added.
According to the town council, in 2015 Huang's Sun Investment Group made a proposal to construct low-cost houses but it was not considered. Last year the company resurfaced and partnered with a local company to get land for low-cost housing.
The two companies were then invited to make a presentation early last year, which they did. Surprisingly, the local company pulled out shortly after, which left Sun Investment Group as the sole service provider.
The council passed a resolution and forwarded it to the line ministry for approval on 5 October last year. Approval was granted on 12 April this year.
Recently the Ondangwa town council also announced that it had entered into a PPP deal with Conselect Engineering to service 317 plots - 304 for residential and 36 for business purposes - in Ondangwa's Extension 22 and 23 to the tune of N$70 million.
Sun Group International general manager Zijie Ni recently told Namibian Sun that they would ensure that affordable houses were built.
KENYA KAMBOWE
The agreement between the Ondangwa Town Council and the Sun Investment Group, owned by Huang, was announced recently and will see the company servicing 516 plots at the town's Extension 32 and 33.
The deal, which is a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement between the two parties, is worth about N$200 million.
Urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa said there was nothing untoward about the land deal as it had been sanctioned by the attorney-general.
“The resolution of the Ondangwa town council stands and they also have cleared the agreement that they have with the company you have mentioned (Sun Investment Group).
I think it was cleared by the office of the attorney-general so I don't think there is any problem in that regard,” Shaningwa said.
“All I want is for the houses to be built. If there are any consequences to be suffered by the person or the company, that is not my interest as it was legally cleared by the office of the attorney-general.”
Huang, who is a friend and business partner of President Hage Geingob, was arrested on 1 February this year in connection with a N$3.5 billion tax evasion, fraud and money-laundering case before the Windhoek Magistrate's Court.
The Chinese national is currently out on bail of N$1 million. He is the fifth accused in the case in which Walvis Bay businessman Laurentius Julius and three other Chinese nationals are facing charges of fraud and money-laundering.
Huang and Geingob, through African Sunrise Investment, have submitted a proposal to build more than 400 apartments in Windhoek.
The Dr Hage Geingob Family Trust has a 20% in African Sunrise Investment. Ondangwa currently has a housing backlog of 4 000 units and the town council has identified housing as a priority in its five-year strategic plan.
Council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho said if entering into a PPP with Sun International Group was not above board, the line ministry would not have approved the partnership.
“Huang is just a suspect, not convicted yet, therefore I don't find it right for people to think that Ondangwa town council has entered into a PPP with a company owned by a criminal,” she argued.
“When Huang was arrested the PPP document was with the attorney-general and line ministry's office and they are the ones that gave the clearance and consent in order for us to go ahead with the partnership.
“If entering into a partnership with Sun International Group could put the council into disrepute they would not have given consent for the partnership to go ahead,” she added.
According to the town council, in 2015 Huang's Sun Investment Group made a proposal to construct low-cost houses but it was not considered. Last year the company resurfaced and partnered with a local company to get land for low-cost housing.
The two companies were then invited to make a presentation early last year, which they did. Surprisingly, the local company pulled out shortly after, which left Sun Investment Group as the sole service provider.
The council passed a resolution and forwarded it to the line ministry for approval on 5 October last year. Approval was granted on 12 April this year.
Recently the Ondangwa town council also announced that it had entered into a PPP deal with Conselect Engineering to service 317 plots - 304 for residential and 36 for business purposes - in Ondangwa's Extension 22 and 23 to the tune of N$70 million.
Sun Group International general manager Zijie Ni recently told Namibian Sun that they would ensure that affordable houses were built.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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