A group of Okahandja, Gobabis and Windhoek residents, led by activist Shaun Gariseb, are demanding the appointment of special investigators within the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to expedite the finalisation of pending corruption cases.
“We demand that special investigators are appointed in accordance with Article 14 of the Anti-Corruption Act of 2003 with immediate effect so that pending matters can be finalised in local authorities,” reads a petition handed over to ACC deputy director general Erna van der Merwe.
The petition, handed over yesterday in Windhoek, also questioned the ACC’s level of commitment in dealing with complaints from different local authorities.
“Why is there no seriousness shown towards the complaints in various local authorities, such as Windhoek, Gobabis, Keetmanshoop, Walvis Bay, Henties Bay, Okahandja, Rundu, Katima Mulilo and Otjiwarongo despite red flags?”
The petition specifically highlighted concerns regarding maladministration, corruption, alleged slow investigations by the ACC and RedForce Debt Management contracts.
It further demanded confirmation on the status of investigations for all complaints lodged with the ACC, including timelines for their completion.
“We demand confirmation whether investigations were instituted/initiated for the complaints lodged with the ACC and whether the investigations concerned are finalised or when these investigations will be finalised,” the petition stated.
Upon receiving the petition on behalf of ACC director general Paulus Noa, Van der Merwe emphasised that special investigators are only appointed under specific conditions.
“You must understand that you can only, in certain circumstances, appoint special investigators, and that’s when there’s not that expertise in the commission itself, and that is something which the director general himself does in consultation with the prime minister,” Van der Merwe said.
She assured the group that the ACC is committed to investigating all allegations of corruption seriously. “I think you’re under the wrong impression if you think that we are not serious about these cases. We are very serious and we are looking at these cases; we just want to give you the assurance that we are also serious about our work,” said Van der Merwe.
– Nampa
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