Tjihumino reinstated at Finance

TWO years after he was suspended, senior Finance Ministry official Maru Tjihumino is back in his position.

In November last year, the Labour Court ruled that misconduct charges laid against Tjihumino on September 5 2005 had lapsed and ordered the Finance Ministry and Public Service Commission (PSC) not to continue pressing those charges against him. Last month the Ministry of Finance finally lifted his suspension and reinstated him in his previous position of Director: Expenditure and Financial Management.He was suspended on August 23 2005, when he was also the chairperson of the Government Institutions Pension Fund’s (GIPF) board of trustees.He has since been stripped of that post as well.The Ministry reversed his suspension on March 3 last year, but shifted him to another post, as Director of Administration.Tjihumino demanded his job back and took Government to the Labour Court.Among the charges Tjihumino faced were that he conducted himself in a “disgraceful, improper or unbecoming manner” by involving himself in financial dealings with Global Vision Trust and Circle Investments that caused “embarrassment to the Government”.Tjihumino was further alleged to have “demanded or caused” Global Vision Trust’s Brett Jolly to pay him a commission, fee or reward of 500 British pounds that he was not entitled to.Global Vision Trust was said to have vied for a loan from GIPF for the Swakopmund Waterfront development.Circle Investments is a local black empowerment company that was also seeking to enter the waterfront venture.The Ministry also charged that Tjihumino operated a private agency, Namibia Horizon Transport, while in the employ of the public service without approval from the Prime Minister.A section of the Public Service Act that states that a disciplinary inquiry “shall be conducted within 21 days” after the establishment of a disciplinary committee proved to be the pivotal factor in Tjihumino’s challenge against the disciplinary charges.He was charged with misconduct in terms of the Act on September 5 2007 but the case never got off the ground, as it was postponed repeatedly.Judge Sylvester Mainga ruled that the hearing did not start within the set 21-day limit required by law and dismissed the State’s case.He also ordered the Finance Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, the chairperson of the disciplinary committee, the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the chairperson of the PSC – all of them were the respondents in the case that Tjihumino had lodged with the Labour Court – to pay the costs of Tjihumino’s court application.Last month the Ministry of Finance finally lifted his suspension and reinstated him in his previous position of Director: Expenditure and Financial Management.He was suspended on August 23 2005, when he was also the chairperson of the Government Institutions Pension Fund’s (GIPF) board of trustees.He has since been stripped of that post as well.The Ministry reversed his suspension on March 3 last year, but shifted him to another post, as Director of Administration.Tjihumino demanded his job back and took Government to the Labour Court.Among the charges Tjihumino faced were that he conducted himself in a “disgraceful, improper or unbecoming manner” by involving himself in financial dealings with Global Vision Trust and Circle Investments that caused “embarrassment to the Government”.Tjihumino was further alleged to have “demanded or caused” Global Vision Trust’s Brett Jolly to pay him a commission, fee or reward of 500 British pounds that he was not entitled to.Global Vision Trust was said to have vied for a loan from GIPF for the Swakopmund Waterfront development.Circle Investments is a local black empowerment company that was also seeking to enter the waterfront venture.The Ministry also charged that Tjihumino operated a private agency, Namibia Horizon Transport, while in the employ of the public service without approval from the Prime Minister.A section of the Public Service Act that states that a disciplinary inquiry “shall be conducted within 21 days” after the establishment of a disciplinary committee proved to be the pivotal factor in Tjihumino’s challenge against the disciplinary charges.He was charged with misconduct in terms of the Act on September 5 2007 but the case never got off the ground, as it was postponed repeatedly.Judge Sylvester Mainga ruled that the hearing did not start within the set 21-day limit required by law and dismissed the State’s case.He also ordered the Finance Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, the chairperson of the disciplinary committee, the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the chairperson of the PSC – all of them were the respondents in the case that Tjihumino had lodged with the Labour Court – to pay the costs of Tjihumino’s court application.