ACC to probe Rugby Union

THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) plans to investigate the 2007 Rugby World Cup ticket scandal that rocked the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) days before the tournament kicked off in France.

The Deputy Director of the ACC, Erna van der Merwe, yesterday confirmed to The Namibian that although no complaint had been laid with the ACC yet, the commission will investigate the matter. It also emerged yesterday that NRU president Dirk Conradie will attend a hearing on the matter in Paris on Thursday.”We will investigate, but we will wait for the appeal that the NRU made regarding that.But we will definitely look into that,” Van Der Merwe said on enquiry.She said the ACC has been following the media reports with keen interest and regarded the issue as highly sensitive.The NRU is embroiled in what could be one of the biggest scandals in the game after it was accused by a former financial director of selling World Cup tickets at inflated prices.Ticket prices are fixed by Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL), a company responsible for running the affairs of the tournament.Conradie denied that any ticket prices were inflated or any funds diverted, and insisted that the N$2,8 million generated by ticket sales was paid to the account of the International Rugby Board (IRB) as required.A former financial director of the union, Pieter Fick, reported to the RWCL that Conradie and his executive committee allegedly did not follow the correct procedures in selling tickets to the public.Conradie claimed that the union was never aware of the ticket dealings that Fick had with a certain South African agent, named M & L Promotions, which sold the tickets on behalf of the union.According to Conradie, the NRU discovered that Fick allegedly made ‘underhand deals’ with M&L Promotions and fired him as the finance chief of the union.Fick was dismissed after he refused to resign voluntarily or be moved to another post.In his report to the RWCL, Fick said Conradie had deposited the proceeds of ticket sales into his law firm’s trust account – a move which Fick viewed as a conflict of interest because the trust account was administered by Conradie.He claimed that Conradie earned interest on the N$2,8 million paid into the Conradie and Damaseb Trust Account.Fick further claimed that this amount could have earned interest of at least N$66 000, but Conradie said this was not possible.In a letter to the media, Conradie said there was no way that such interest could have been earned in a week.”I can tell you that an amount of N$2 224,11 was earned as interest and that amount still stands to the credit of that file,” he said.The Namibian yesterday tried to call Fick for comment, but to no avail.Also yesterday, NRU chief executive officer Christo Alexander said Conradie would attend a hearing in Paris on Thursday regarding the sale of the tickets.He said the NRU had appealed against a recommendation by the RWCL to have Namibian rugby administrators barred from attending the tournament because of the ticket sale scandal.Alexander said it was only himself and Conradie who have been barred by the rugby world body from attending the World Cup in France.It also emerged yesterday that NRU president Dirk Conradie will attend a hearing on the matter in Paris on Thursday.”We will investigate, but we will wait for the appeal that the NRU made regarding that.But we will definitely look into that,” Van Der Merwe said on enquiry.She said the ACC has been following the media reports with keen interest and regarded the issue as highly sensitive.The NRU is embroiled in what could be one of the biggest scandals in the game after it was accused by a former financial director of selling World Cup tickets at inflated prices.Ticket prices are fixed by Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL), a company responsible for running the affairs of the tournament.Conradie denied that any ticket prices were inflated or any funds diverted, and insisted that the N$2,8 million generated by ticket sales was paid to the account of the International Rugby Board (IRB) as required. A former financial director of the union, Pieter Fick, reported to the RWCL that Conradie and his executive committee allegedly did not follow the correct procedures in selling tickets to the public.Conradie claimed that the union was never aware of the ticket dealings that Fick had with a certain South African agent, named M & L Promotions, which sold the tickets on behalf of the union.According to Conradie, the NRU discovered that Fick allegedly made ‘underhand deals’ with M&L Promotions and fired him as the finance chief of the union.Fick was dismissed after he refused to resign voluntarily or be moved to another post.In his report to the RWCL, Fick said Conradie had deposited the proceeds of ticket sales into his law firm’s trust account – a move which Fick viewed as a conflict of interest because the trust account was administered by Conradie.He claimed that Conradie earned interest on the N$2,8 million paid into the Conradie and Damaseb Trust Account.Fick further claimed that this amount could have earned interest of at least N$66 000, but Conradie said this was not possible.In a letter to the media, Conradie said there was no way that such interest could have been earned in a week.”I can tell you that an amount of N$2 224,11 was earned as interest and that amount still stands to the credit of that file,” he said.The Namibian yesterday tried to call Fick for comment, but to no avail.Also yesterday, NRU chief executive officer Christo Alexander said Conradie would attend a hearing in Paris on Thursday regarding the sale of the tickets.He said the NRU had appealed against a recommendation by the RWCL to have Namibian rugby administrators barred from attending the tournament because of the ticket sale scandal.Alexander said it was only himself and Conradie who have been barred by the rugby world body from attending the World Cup in France.