Probe against two ex-ministers ‘progressing’
A prosecutor-general decision is still pending on whether to prosecute former ministers Alpheus !Naruseb and Katrina Hanse-Himarwa over the allocation of a resettlement farm unit in the Hardap Region to the latter’s son.
However, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director-general Paulus Noa last week said the matter is progressing well – eight years since investigations into the farm allocation started in 2015.
Hanse-Himarwa, the former Hardap governor and by implication the chairperson of the regional resettlement committee for the region, is being investigated alongside former lands minister Alpheus !Naruseb, under whose regime the allocation took place.
It was previously reported that one of the people who applied for farm Uhlenhorst – which was given to Hanse-Himarwa’s son, Denzil - had demanded the minutes of the resettlement committee meeting that passed the resolution to do so.
Theresia Konjore claimed she had been applying for a resettlement farm since 2006, while Denzil is understood to only have applied for the farm in 2014 and immediately got it, The Namibian reported in 2019.
This while Kondjore allegedly scored higher than Denzil during the vetting process.
Hanse-Himarwa has insisted that she did not play a role in the allocation, claiming she was not in the country when the allocation took place.
Making progress
Speaking on The Agenda on Sunday, Noa said the docket in this matter is with the prosecutor-general, adding that there is progress being made towards a decision on whether or not to prosecute.
“The prosecutor-general is making progress. I know this because they are in constant consultation with my investigator. It’s receiving attention,” he said.
Any decision to prosecute would see Hanse-Himarwa returning to court after she was found guilty of corruption in a separate matter, also dating to her days as Hardap governor.
In that case, the court found that she used her office for self-gratification after she removed names from a list of beneficiaries for a national housing project and replaced them with one of her relatives.
She was sentenced to a fine of N$50 000 or, in case of default, 24 months in jail.
However, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director-general Paulus Noa last week said the matter is progressing well – eight years since investigations into the farm allocation started in 2015.
Hanse-Himarwa, the former Hardap governor and by implication the chairperson of the regional resettlement committee for the region, is being investigated alongside former lands minister Alpheus !Naruseb, under whose regime the allocation took place.
It was previously reported that one of the people who applied for farm Uhlenhorst – which was given to Hanse-Himarwa’s son, Denzil - had demanded the minutes of the resettlement committee meeting that passed the resolution to do so.
Theresia Konjore claimed she had been applying for a resettlement farm since 2006, while Denzil is understood to only have applied for the farm in 2014 and immediately got it, The Namibian reported in 2019.
This while Kondjore allegedly scored higher than Denzil during the vetting process.
Hanse-Himarwa has insisted that she did not play a role in the allocation, claiming she was not in the country when the allocation took place.
Making progress
Speaking on The Agenda on Sunday, Noa said the docket in this matter is with the prosecutor-general, adding that there is progress being made towards a decision on whether or not to prosecute.
“The prosecutor-general is making progress. I know this because they are in constant consultation with my investigator. It’s receiving attention,” he said.
Any decision to prosecute would see Hanse-Himarwa returning to court after she was found guilty of corruption in a separate matter, also dating to her days as Hardap governor.
In that case, the court found that she used her office for self-gratification after she removed names from a list of beneficiaries for a national housing project and replaced them with one of her relatives.
She was sentenced to a fine of N$50 000 or, in case of default, 24 months in jail.
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