THE Namibia Basketball Federation yesterday reported its development officer, Manuel ‘Lito’ Carballo, to the Anti-Corruption Commission to be investigated for alleged fraud and corruption.
The NBF suspended Carballo pending the outcome of the investigation. Carballo, a director of Vision of the Youth Namibia, is accused of abusing his position as the NBF’s development officer to solicit funds for his company. According to the NBF, N$90 500 received from the Ministry of Youth and Sport for the recently held basketball coaches’ development workshop (October 31 – November 7) was disbursed without a single cent passing through the NBF bank account.’The NBF hereby launches a fraud and corruption investigation with the ACC against Vision of the Youth Namibia and Mr Manuel Carballo for fraudulently using the name of the NBF to solicit funds from unsuspecting parties (sponsors),’ the federation said in a statement. ‘The NBF has it on good record that Vision of the Youth Namibia is fraudulently soliciting funds from unsuspecting parties using the good name of the NBF.’Carballo allegedly ensured that Vision of the Youth Namibia received affiliation status to the NBF as well as the mandate to organise a FIBA Iiternational basketball event, which has subsequently been cancelled.’The NBF is also hereby issuing a warning to those stakeholders that have already committed financial or material resources to Vision of the Youth and/or NBF, that they are doing so at their own risk and should not hold the NBF responsible for any loss that may occur,’ reads the statement. ‘We cannot allow funds that were sought through fraudulent means to circulate into the basketball system.’
