DBC sold valuable tourmalines for next to nothingDBC sold valuable tourmalines for next to nothing

THE Development Brigade Corporation sold tourmaline gemstones valued at between N$4 million and N$6 million for a mere N$1 500, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry heard on Friday.

When the Commission resumed business after a week’s recess, the commissioners were left frustrated as witnesses failed to provide much insight into the suspicious sale of the much sought-after stones to an Omaruru-based American dealer. The man in whose custody the tourmaline were kept and who oversaw the final transaction, former DBC Finance Manager Francis van Staden, apparently had a problem recalling past events.”Mr Chairman I can’t remember some of the things, which happened in the past,” he pleaded.Van Staden testified that the deal on the precious stones was concluded in his office, but said he could not recall the people involved in the transaction.The former financial manger further told the Commission that he personally handed the bag of tourmalines to “the American”, but before doing that he phoned one of his superiors – and once again could not remember who it was.”This is a crucial matter Mr van Staden, but that is the problem we have with you.You remember that you called someone, how can’t you remember who you talked to? …You can’t tell us that you don’t remember things which took place in your office,” charged a frustrated Commission Chairperson, Petrus Unengu.”Who fixed the price of the tourmaline?” asked the Commission’s legal counsel, Eldorette Harmse.”I don’t know, that I can’t remember,” Van Staden responded.Unengu chipped in:”So you cannot even remember that the bag [of tourmalines] you kept in your office was about nine kilograms?” “Yes, Mr Chairman I can’t [remember], but I think maybe the bag was about 1,5 kilograms,” stated the witness.His response prompted Unengu to declare:”I put it to you that you don’t want to remember for convenience’s sake.You know what happened; you are just being biased.Maybe you are the one who fixed the price with [Christopher] Johnson, the buyer.”Van Staden stared obliviously for a while before he shook his head and said:”Who me? No, no, not me.”He told the Commission that he was not involved in the finances of the DBC.His role was only to keep records.But commissioner Brian Nalisa retorted that such an explanation was not acceptable because, as finance manger, Van Staden was supposed to do the costing of projects undertaken by the parastatal.The testimony of a former mining expert in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Veston Malango, who investigated the manner in which the DBC’s tourmalines were disposed of, also failed to help the Commission establish the real value of the gemstones.While concluding that the precious stones were sold at a “ridiculously low price”, Malango said that it was difficult for him to establish the gemstones’ real value, as he did not have the opportunity to grade them and price them accordingly.”I have my own reservations on the price.The tourmalines should have been sorted according to their grades, but in this case they were sold in bulk and that way you can easily be cheated,” Malango added.The tourmaline was mined by the defunct DBC’s subsidiary, Namibia Mining Enterprise (NME), in the Karibib district.NME’s former Managing Director, Laurence Sampofu, has been identified as the main whistle-blower on the suspicious sale.He wrote letters to State House, the Ministry of Trade and Industry as well as that of Mines and Energy alerting them to the deal.The man in whose custody the tourmaline were kept and who oversaw the final transaction, former DBC Finance Manager Francis van Staden, apparently had a problem recalling past events.”Mr Chairman I can’t remember some of the things, which happened in the past,” he pleaded.Van Staden testified that the deal on the precious stones was concluded in his office, but said he could not recall the people involved in the transaction.The former financial manger further told the Commission that he personally handed the bag of tourmalines to “the American”, but before doing that he phoned one of his superiors – and once again could not remember who it was.”This is a crucial matter Mr van Staden, but that is the problem we have with you.You remember that you called someone, how can’t you remember who you talked to? …You can’t tell us that you don’t remember things which took place in your office,” charged a frustrated Commission Chairperson, Petrus Unengu.”Who fixed the price of the tourmaline?” asked the Commission’s legal counsel, Eldorette Harmse.”I don’t know, that I can’t remember,” Van Staden responded.Unengu chipped in:”So you cannot even remember that the bag [of tourmalines] you kept in your office was about nine kilograms?” “Yes, Mr Chairman I can’t [remember], but I think maybe the bag was about 1,5 kilograms,” stated the witness.His response prompted Unengu to declare:”I put it to you that you don’t want to remember for convenience’s sake.You know what happened; you are just being biased.Maybe you are the one who fixed the price with [Christopher] Johnson, the buyer.”Van Staden stared obliviously for a while before he shook his head and said:”Who me? No, no, not me.”He told the Commission that he was not involved in the finances of the DBC.His role was only to keep records.But commissioner Brian Nalisa retorted that such an explanation was not acceptable because, as finance manger, Van Staden was supposed to do the costing of projects undertaken by the parastatal.The testimony of a former mining expert in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Veston Malango, who investigated the manner in which the DBC’s tourmalines were disposed of, also failed to help the Commission establish the real value of the gemstones.While concluding that the precious stones were sold at a “ridiculously low price”, Malango said that it was difficult for him to establish the gemstones’ real value, as he did not have the opportunity to grade them and price them accordingly.”I have my own reservations on the price.The tourmalines should have been sorted according to their grades, but in this case they were sold in bulk and that way you can easily be cheated,” Malango added.The tourmaline was mined by the defunct DBC’s subsidiary, Namibia Mining Enterprise (NME), in the Karibib district.NME’s former Managing Director, Laurence Sampofu, has been identified as the main whistle-blower on the suspicious sale.He wrote letters to State House, the Ministry of Trade and Industry as well as that of Mines and Energy alerting them to the deal.