Finance clerk jailed over cheque theft

A MINISTRY of Finance clerk who admitted that she stole cheques worth more than N$3,94 million from her employer two years ago received an effective prison term of eight years in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday.

Veronika Kituna Thomas (38) was sentenced on five counts of corruptly using an office or position for gratification, which are charges under the Anti-Corruption Act to which she pleaded guilty before Judge Alfred Siboleka on February 10.’I am aware of the dire financial stress and difficulties that the accused went through, but if recourse to stealing is allowed as a way out of such evils, our nation will be irreparably ruined,’ Judge Siboleka told Thomas during the sentencing. ‘It must stand out very clearly that corruption, just like any other crime, does not pay.’Corruption is a chronic disease which, once allowed to take root and grow, would destroy the country’s economy and Government’s delivery of services, the judge remarked. That is a situation which must be avoided at all costs, he said.Thomas admitted that she stole cheques made out to the Ministry of Finance or Receiver of Revenue on five occasions from January 25 2010 to February 18 2010, while being employed as a registry clerk at the Finance Ministry.The total value of the cheques was N$3 944 631,64.She stole the cheques after a childhood friend and former boyfriend, David Nghiwilepo, had persuaded her to do so, Thomas told the judge in testimony after she had pleaded guilty.Nghiwilepo had not only promised to help her out of chronic financial problems, but had also promised to dump his wife and marry her instead, Thomas told the court. Nothing came of his promises, though, and she received no money from the theft, she said.She told the judge that after stealing the cheques, which came from companies making value-added tax or employees’ tax payments to the Ministry of Finance, she handed the cheques over to Nghiwilepo.She did not know what he then did with the cheques, she said.The prosecution is alleging that the cheques were all paid into a bank account of a company with the name M Finance. The company, with a name which was misleadingly close to that of the Ministry of Finance, belongs to businessman Antoine Mbok.About N$371 865 had been withdrawn from the company’s account before the account was frozen, the court was told.Thomas was previously employed with the Ministry of Home Affairs, and in that time was convicted of forgery and uttering in connection with the acquisition of Namibian birth certificates by foreign nationals, the judge was told.That conviction and the option of paying a fine which she received at that stage should have taught her a lesson, Judge Siboleka commented. Instead of learning to resist the temptation of doing wrong, like one would have expected from an adult person, she ended up stealing the cheques from her employer, he noted.’This conduct is aggravating and unforgivable,’ he said.He sentenced Thomas to 12 years’ imprisonment, of which four years were suspended for a period of five years on condition that Thomas is not convicted of theft or corruption, committed during the period of suspension.Mbok and Nghiwilepo are also facing the charges to which Thomas admitted guilt.They pleaded not guilty to all charges on February 10, and are supposed to make another pre-trial appearance in the High Court today.Thomas was represented by defence lawyer Jan Wessels. State advocate Shakwa Nyambe prosecuted.