Staff Reporter

WINDHOEK High Court Acting Judge Eileen Rakow has ordered the freezing of funds in the accounts of two persons implicated in a corruption case linked to the //Kharas Regional Council, in which funds meant for August 26 Construction were diverted into third-party accounts.

The accounts are those of Lusia Ndinomayele Jakob and Maria Ndatulumukua Iipumbu. The judge ordered that the properties of the two be forfeited to the State in terms of Section 61 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, 29 of 2004 (“POCA”), after the Office of the Prosecutor-General made an application for the preservation of funds in their accounts.

The alleged corrupt practices were first brought to light by Affirmative Repositioning (AR) President Job Amupanda in Parliament earlier this year, when he accused //Kharas Chief Regional Officer Ralph Sachika of authorising a payment meant for August 26 Construction to a third-party company, Tushiko Investments, in the amount of N$3.9 million.

August 26 Holdings (Pty) Ltd, via its subsidiary August 26 Construction, received a tender to build the //Kharas Regional Council Office Park. August 26 Construction subsequently subcontracted Ultimate Traders CC for the supply and installation of furniture amounting to N$3.1 million. Of this amount, N$2,950,358.38 had already been paid, Amupanda claimed.

Ultimate Traders CC is said to be owned by Titus Iipumbu.

Amupanda further alleged that Iipumbu submitted fraudulent documents, including a fake payment authorisation letter from August 26 Construction to the //Kharas Regional Council, for payment in the amount of N$3,969,628.63 into Tushiko Investments. It is alleged that the //Kharas Chief Regional Officer, Sachika, did not inquire with August 26 Construction about the payment being made into a different account.

Tushiko Investments, upon receiving the funds from the //Kharas Regional Council, transferred the N$3,969,628.63 to Maria Iipumbu — the wife of Titus Iipumbu. Ms Iipumbu then transferred funds to her various other bank accounts, including that of her husband, Mr Iipumbu, and a further N$700,000.00 to Jakob. Amupanda claimed that part of the N$700,000 ended up in the bank account of a two-year-old, Robyn Ndeyanonga Sachika, the daughter of Jakob and Acting Chief Regional Officer Ralph Namiluko Sachika.

Photo: NBC Digital News

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