Details emerge in MoE ghost worker scam

WINDHOEK STAFF REPORTER

A whooping N$700 000 of government money was allegedly shared among a few Ministry of Education officials who drove a ghost worker scam, the Windhoek Magistrate's Court heard on Tuesday.
Several officials in the ministry were suspended and others arrested, following the discovery of the alleged scam in June last year.
Government brought in audit firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers to conduct a forensic audit, while the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also did a separate investigation in the same matter.
This week, ten officials appeared in court in connection with the matter. Another official, Akunangondo Nauyala, who is out on a N$15 000 bail did not appear in court and a warrant of arrest has been issued.
He was arrested and charged with 17 counts of fraud in December 2011.
Others - Laurentius Dino van Wyk, Anne-Marie Alexandra van Wyk, Rebekka Petrina Uris, Valery Waldro Nanghula, Rachel Joey Jansen, Ester Omagano Ambondo, Doreen Elder Upingisana, Mengistu Nghaamwa, Festus Ladjovale Haitula, Jona Etuna Nekwaya and Aurelia Beukes - all appeared on Tuesday.
The court heard how the suspects allegedly worked in cahoots with regional educational office officials, who helped submit fake workers onto the payroll, by providing bogus appointment letters.
They would submit the name of a ghost worker, using an identification card, to the payroll office on pretext that the salary recipient is employed by the ministry in the regions.
When the monthly salary was paid out, it was then allegedly shared between the fraudsters and the officials, the court further heard.
Fourteen fraudulent payments as salary, arrear salary, bonus and examination claims were allegedly made by Nauyala who ended up pocketing a cool N$347 826 from the scam.
Aurena Beukes received fourteen fraudulent salary and arrear salary payments, while seven fraudulent payments were made to Ngaamwa as salary.
In one instance, Laurentius Dino van Wyk, Akunagondo, Uris and Nghaamwa allegedly made fraudulent payments of N$99 410 to Nghaamwa as an arrear salary.
It is further claimed that in another incident, Laurentius Dino van Wyk, Anne-Marie Alexandra van Wyk and Haitula made fraudulent payments of N$99 900 to Haitula as an arrear salary.
A similar amount was allegedly paid as an arrear salary to Nekwaya by Laurentius Dino van Wyk, Anne-Marie Alexandra van Wyk and Nekwaya himself.
The ten suspects now face 30 fraud charges, six charges of contravening the Anti-Corruption Act and one money laundering charge.
Laurentius van Wyk was allegedly a key figure in many transactions, according to information obtained by the court thus far.
He was arrested in November 2011 and is charged with six charges in terms of the Anti-Corruption Act, and 30 counts of fraud.
Several of the accused have been released on bail, in a matter that Magistrate Ruth Herunga postponed pending the arrest of Nauyala.
Eight of the officials were charged last week and face corruption charges and 12 to 15 counts of fraud each.