ACC probe uncovers irregularities at Rehoboth

THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has unearthed financial irregularities and suspicious tender allocations at the Rehoboth Town Council.

Chief ACC Investigator Nelius Becker yesterday told The Namibian that documents detailing the findings of the investigations were submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office in February to decide on possible prosecution.
Becker pointed out that some staff members of the Council and a company to which tenders were allocated dubiously might face the wrath of the law.
According to Becker, the graft watchdog also proposed that the Minister of Local Government intervene at the Rehoboth Council, because improper control of assets was uncovered.
The matters the ACC investigated included the unprocedural appointment of Council staff, allocation of a sewage removal tender to Alstemo Accounts Management Services, owned by Alfred Dax, and irregular payments to Jacobs Engineering Consultants, owned by Fritz Jacobs.
The owner of Alstemo Accounts Services is the brother of Rehoboth Mayor Alfred Dax. Becker refused to give more details on the findings of the investigation.
But The Namibian was reliably informed that the investigation found that Dax allegedly swindled the Council out of thousands of dollars by submitting invoices for services he had not rendered.
It further surfaced from the investigations that the awarding of the tenders to Dax and Jacobs was irregular. The investigations also detected that appointments were made without positions being advertised.
A source hinted that Methol Links and Sagarias Haksteen were appointed in Council positions that were not advertised.
The investigation also revealed that the council had failed to ensure that payments made to Jacobs Engineering Consultants were done correctly.
According to Becker, the ACC is still investigating other irregularities at the Council. ‘The biggest corruption is taking root in Local Authorities,’ he remarked.
Meanwhile, The Namibian has also established that Alstema Account Management Services is allegedly charging the council value-added tax although it is not VAT registered.
An official in the Inland Revenue Office confirmed to The Namibian that Dax’s company is not VAT registered. According to the official, Dax’s personal tax number is given as the VAT registration number on the company’s invoices.
The council pays VAT to Dax for services rendered, but it could not be established whether the tax is passed on to the Treasury.