THE investigation into Namibian football bosses accused of “corrupt practices” stretches outside Namibian borders, asserts the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The case, which was opened in 2018, entails investigating alleged corrupt practices in the financial affairs of the Namibian Football Association (NFA).
Those being investigated include former NFA secretary-general Barry Rukoro and former national team head coach Ricardo Mannetti.
Mannetti and Rukoro denied any wrongdoing in 2020 when The Namibian inquired about their possible involvement.
Yesterday, Rukoro said he was not aware of the cross-border investigation, while Mannetti did not respond to new questions sent to him.
Rukoro, who served as the country’s football chief administrator for 12 years, has accused other leaders of allegedly accepting bribes to support the Moroccan 2026 Fifa World Cup bid.
“Please note the investigation in this particular case is complex, as this is a cross-border crime,” ACC spokesperson Josefina Nghituwamata told The Namibian this week.
Efforts are underway to ensure that due processes, which require back-to-back consultations, are followed to effectively conclude the investigation, Nghituwamata said.
“It remains our priority to finalise all our cases, and this case is no exception. Therefore, the investigation in this case is ongoing,” she said.
An ACC letter dated 25 April 2019 said the investigation is focusing on alleged corrupt practices and self-enrichment allegations in football.
“The commission is currently investigating alleged corrupt practices of the following employees of the Namibian Football Association, as well as other implicated role players,” the ACC said.
The list includes: Mannetti, Rukoro, national team manager Tim Isaacs, former Brave Warriors assistant manager Jakes Amaning, former NFA executive member and bank signatory Roger Kambatuku, national team kit manager Immanuel Mungendje and former senior national team captain Ronald Ketjijere.
The others are NFA’s internal auditor Benjamin Ntihemuka, NFA caterer Taimi Vilho and Rukoro’s wife Leonardine.
All the alleged role players have previously denied any wrongdoing.
Kambatuku and Ketjijere yesterday said they had no knowledge of the cross-border investigation by the ACC.
The ACC said more football administrators could be added onto the list.
Documents seen by The Namibian show that Amaning allegedly received over N$2,4 million between 2015 and 2017 from the NFA.
Part of that amount was allegedly cashed over the counter.
Amaning did not respond to questions sent to him yesterday.
Approximately N$488 000, which was withdrawn by Amaning, was allegedly signed-off by Rukoro.
The former and current football administrators are accused of enriching themselves through Namibia’s football regulator while starving local footballers and withholding the salaries of national team players.
The ACC’s cross-border investigation will reportedly look at several transactions since 2017, especially the ones that involve the 2018 African National Championships and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
It is alleged that some football bosses used the qualifiers and these two tournaments to enrich themselves.
For example, the NFA had to pay N$3 million to former senior officials, amid allegations that some of the claims were “baseless” because they were not backed by written contracts.
The NFA initially refused, until it received instructions from the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service to do so in 2020.
The payments were for matches played in 2019, according to an NFA document titled ‘2019 Afcon qualification matches’. The document only has the recipients’ signatures, but not that of the principal or accounting officer.
The money was reportedly for five games between 2017 and 2019. Just for the Guinea Bissau vs Namibia match in June 2017, the NFA paid N$420 000 to the technical team. For the game against Zambia in September 2018, the technical team claimed N$570 000.
Those who benefited from the N$3 million payout include former Brave Warriors coach Mannetti, ex-assistant coach Ronnie Kanalelo, and team manager Isaacs. They received N$360 000 each.
“I am surprised that a coach has been brought into financial affairs. This is news to me,” Mannetti said in 2020 regarding being on the ACC list.
