EDITORIAL: Meatco allegations demand swift ACC action

If the allegations reported in The Namibian yesterday about Meatco carry any weight, one must ask why the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is not already swarming this case like bees on honey.

The accusations surrounding former Meatco acting CEO Patrick Liebenberg are not minor administrative slip-ups. They include claims that N$5.5 million was misappropriated, 900 cattle are unaccounted for, and that 517 cattle were allegedly moved during an audit to conceal losses from investigators.

These are not matters for quiet internal deliberations behind closed boardroom doors. They are allegations that strike at the heart of public trust in a state-owned enterprise central to Namibia’s agricultural economy.

Of course, Liebenberg remains presumed innocent. But the same presumption of innocence applies to other public enterprise leaders – such as Imms Mulunga of Namcor and Mike Nghipunya of Fishcor – who were arrested and now await trial behind bars over comparable accusations.

It is difficult to understand how the Meatco board – under whose watch these alleged irregularities allegedly occurred – can consider itself the most appropriate authority to handle the matter internally. If anything, the situation raises uncomfortable questions about directors’ oversight failures.

If such serious allegations could flourish undetected, the board cannot simply carry on as though nothing happened. Even if members were not directly involved in wrongdoing, the mere possibility that fraud thrived under their supervision suggests a breakdown in fiduciary duty.

At the very least, humility would dictate stepping aside.

Only last week, the ACC arrested three agriculture ministry officials over the alleged theft of two water tanks. Yet allegations involving millions of dollars and hundreds of missing cattle appear to be contained within the four walls of an internal disciplinary process.

Namibians deserve consistency in the fight against corruption. And consistency demands that the ACC steps in.