Education officials in the dock

A FORMER accountant at the
//Karas education regional directorate, Enid Deku (41), implicated in the embezzlement of funds amounting to N$250 000, appeared in the Keetmanshoop Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

She was joined in the dock by Thomas Ndambonde (36), a teacher at Suiderlig Secondary School at Keetmanshoop, and Madelaine Swartbooi (33), a teacher at Keetmanshoop Secondary School.

The three employees were arraigned on charges of fraud and corruptly using their office for their own gratification.

They were not asked to plead and their case was postponed until 18 March for further investigation.

All suspects are out on bail.

Deku allegedly facilitated payments through the Integrated Finance Management System, which were then paid into the bank accounts of Ndambonde and Swartbooi through electronic funds transfer.

Lawyer Percy McNully represented Deku and Swartbooi. Ndambonde told the court he had failed to enlist the services of a private lawyer.

The //Karas education director,
/Awabahe //Hoëseb, yesterday said the embezzlement of the funds was detected in December last year when a staffer complained that payments she had no knowledge of were effected on her code.

Sources indicated that Swartbooi and Ndambonde were each receiving a danger allowance of N$1 700 besides their monthly salaries although they were not entitled to it.

The sources hinted that the illicit payments into the implicated teachers’ accounts had been going on since September 2020.

Deku resigned soon after the alleged fraudulent payments to unentitled staffers were uncovered.

//Hoëseb revealed that an internal audit investigation was launched into the alleged misappropriation of funds to determine for how long it has been going on.

“The state has to recover the stolen money from the implicated employees’ gratuity and pension payments,” he noted.

//Hoëseb said the education authority will also take disciplinary action against Ndambonde and Swartbooi.

luqman@namibian.com.na