DISGRUNTLED residents of Koes village in the //Kharas region have urged the village council to suspend chief executive officer Willie Humphries over allegations of the misappropriation of council funds.
Resident Johannes Janser confirmed the development yesterday, saying the call was made to the council during a meeting with a five-member delegation from the community.
He said if the council does not suspend Humphries, the residents would have no choice but to take the issue further.
“We expect the council to make the suspension decision at a meeting scheduled for this afternoon,” he added, saying the council was given a deadline of 07h30 to inform residents about its decision on their request for the CEO’s suspension.
Janser said the community delegation had convinced council to suspend Humphries and pave the way for an investigation into allegations of misappropriation of funds.
“We (delegation) on behalf of the local community, convinced council to suspend its CEO, amid accusations of the embezzlement of funds,” he stated.
He said Humphries, as the council’s top administrator, had failed to lay a criminal charge against an accountant who allegedly disappeared with the council’s vehicle without authority and about N$10 000 from the council’s safe.
It is also suspected that the staff member had fraudulently withdrawn N$250 000 from the council’s bank account at Keetmanshoop after allegedly forging the signatures of authorised signatories of the council.
Janser revealed that the alleged theft was committed a month ago, but Humphries only registered a criminal case against the implicated staff member this week.
From this, said Janser, the suspicion arose among residents that Humphries might have been in cahoots with the staff member who disappeared with the council’s money.
“We also understand that the CEO had removed council’s financial documents from the office without council’s permission,” he added.
The staff member who allegedly disappeared with the council’s money later tendered his resignation.
The //Kharas police’s acting crime investigations coordinator, Douglas Hanse, yesterday said Humphries reported this week that the staff member could have stolen anything between N$300 000 and N$400 000.
“As we speak, members of the serious crimes unit are at Koës to investigate the matter,” he said, adding that the arrests of the implicated employees were imminent.
Hanse said police had requested Humphries to provide them with substantial evidence when he reported the theft, and on allegations that he took council financial records out of the office without council’s consent.
Furthermore, Hanse said Humphries told the police that it had taken him so long to report the theft that was detected almost a month ago because he was still seeking advice on the matter.
Humphries could not be reached for comment yesterday as his mobile phone went unanswered.
luqman@namibian.com.na
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