|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You Are
Here: |
Local News|
Thursday, September 11, 2003 - Web posted at 10:20:14 GMT NamPower CEO at centre of adultery claims TANGENI AMUPADHITHE head of NamPower is suing a man who accused him of abusing his position of power and company resources to romance his wife. |
|
Lawyers representing the Managing Director of NamPower, Leake Hangala, this week filed a N$300 000 defamation suit against Hannu Shipena, a Director at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The lawsuit is a counter claim after Shipena wrote to the NamPower board in April accusing Hangala of "misconduct" and demanding that disciplinary measures be instituted against him. When Hangala threatened to sue him over the letter, Shipena went to the High Court demanding N$500 000 from Hangala for sleeping with his wife and wrecking the family unit. Hangala has denied he slept with Lucia Shipena, a General Manager for Commercial Development and Marketing at NamPower. In papers filed at the High Court, Hangala said Hannu Shipena wrote to the President and board members setting out claims that Hangala used the company to woo his wife. "Apart from the defamatory meaning of those statements as set out in the letter, it carries the additional sting that the defendant is: not a law abiding citizen, a coward, untrustworthy, a cheat, a liar, and unprofessional and not worthy of being in the position he was appointed by his employer," Hangala said in the counter claim. Shipena said yesterday he was still studying the counter claim, but insisted that Hangala allegedly "misused his position to get my wife. The significance of that [counter claim] to me is that he sleeps with my wife and has the audacity to threaten to sue me, even before I considered suing him". Hangala attached the letter Shipena wrote to the court papers. In the letter addressed to the Chairman of the NamPower board, Shipena says: "I am convinced that the sexual relationship, although consensual (my wife claims), constitutes gross abuse of power, office space, office time and other company resources". He claims his wife confessed that "sexual acts were committed in the office as well as on numerous official trips outside Windhoek. The company Lear Jet was used in most NamPower official-cum-pleasure trips. In at least one instance, the company Lear Jet was used for an NCCI-cum-pleasure trip to the coast". Shipena also argued that the alleged affair was a "disregard for family values" and morality. "Morality is an essential characteristic for the governance and leadership of a State-owned enterprise. "There are standards of moral behaviour implicit within the job of a Managing Director and a Managing Director who engages in adulterous sex over several months with a married employee who reports to him, cannot have the confidence of other employees and the owners of the company," writes Shipena. Shipena claimed the romance began before May last year though he only learnt about it in January. He has asked N$250 000 for adultery, and another N$250 000 for "loss of comfort, society and services " of the wife, accusing Hangala of wrecking his marriage. Hangala yesterday refused to comment, saying the matter was sub judice and should be dealt with by lawyers. In his court paper, Hangala said Lucia Shipena had "told him about the alleged adultery, but pleads that the socalled "admission" was allegedly made "after the plaintiff [Shipena] assaulted his wife". Patrick Kauta, who is representing Hangala, could not be reached for comment. He said in earlier comment that Shipena did not make the abuse of office a major complaint when he filed a lawsuit against Hangala, though that was the main issue to the board. |
|
||||
PO Box 20783 - Windhoek - 42 John Meinert Street Tel: +264 (61) 236970 - Fax: +264 (61) 233980
|
