Air Namibia GM drops case against staff

A TOP manager at Air Namibia has withdrawn a N$250 000 defamation suit against junior staff who accused him of profiteering for his private airline through a deal with the national air carrier.

But Andre Compion, General Manager: Technical and Operations, yesterday denied that he withdrew the lawsuit. Instead, he argued, “a settlement was reached”.Compion declined to say what the settlement was, adding that the conditions of the settlement were coated in “confidentiality”.”I got what I wanted, which does not necessarily mean I got money out of it,” said Compion in an interview.Patrick Kauta, the lawyer for Mildred Loxton, Lorna Shingenge, Ben Kakonda, Matti Kanalelo and Nico Banda, whom Compion accused of leading the allegations against him and his firm Comav, said the parties reached a settlement “by withdrawing” the lawsuit.Each side has agreed to pay the legal cost that they incurred, said Kauta, without giving further details.Compion filed the lawsuit in the High Court after about 100 Air Namibia employees held a demonstration in August 2002, and handed a petition to the Ministry of Finance, under which the airline falls.In the petition the workers said Compion was using his position in Air Namibia to help his private aviation company, Comav, make huge profits at the expense of the parastatal.Comav operates Air Namibia’s domestic routes around the country at a fee, which Compion and the rest of management argued was in the interest of the national carrier.The workers had claimed that Comav was passing on costs to Air Namibia, including airport fees, the pilots who were employed by the private firm and that Compion’s firm sold fuel to the parastatal instead of letting the State-owned company buy it from wholesalers.”The benefit is now only accruing to Comav, the middlemen,” said the petition.Air Namibia’s top management have argued that the airline had began making a profit after Compion as well as former unionist Ranga Haikali and then board member Gernot Riedel were brought into the company several years ago to turn it around.Staff and some middle managers have questioned the claim that Air Namibia had made a profit.Compion had demanded N$100 000 for injury to his “dignity, self-esteem and self respect” and N$150 000 for damages to his “reputation and good name”, as well as for the five to pay his legal costs.Instead, he argued, “a settlement was reached”.Compion declined to say what the settlement was, adding that the conditions of the settlement were coated in “confidentiality”.”I got what I wanted, which does not necessarily mean I got money out of it,” said Compion in an interview.Patrick Kauta, the lawyer for Mildred Loxton, Lorna Shingenge, Ben Kakonda, Matti Kanalelo and Nico Banda, whom Compion accused of leading the allegations against him and his firm Comav, said the parties reached a settlement “by withdrawing” the lawsuit.Each side has agreed to pay the legal cost that they incurred, said Kauta, without giving further details.Compion filed the lawsuit in the High Court after about 100 Air Namibia employees held a demonstration in August 2002, and handed a petition to the Ministry of Finance, under which the airline falls.In the petition the workers said Compion was using his position in Air Namibia to help his private aviation company, Comav, make huge profits at the expense of the parastatal.Comav operates Air Namibia’s domestic routes around the country at a fee, which Compion and the rest of management argued was in the interest of the national carrier.The workers had claimed that Comav was passing on costs to Air Namibia, including airport fees, the pilots who were employed by the private firm and that Compion’s firm sold fuel to the parastatal instead of letting the State-owned company buy it from wholesalers.”The benefit is now only accruing to Comav, the middlemen,” said the petition.Air Namibia’s top management have argued that the airline had began making a profit after Compion as well as former unionist Ranga Haikali and then board member Gernot Riedel were brought into the company several years ago to turn it around.Staff and some middle managers have questioned the claim that Air Namibia had made a profit.Compion had demanded N$100 000 for injury to his “dignity, self-esteem and self respect” and N$150 000 for damages to his “reputation and good name”, as well as for the five to pay his legal costs.