Kaulinge to pay N$400 000 he owes President’s Office

FORMER Presidential aide Isaac Kaulinge has agreed to pay N$400 000 he owes State House in travel and daily allowances.

Barely a month ago Kaulinge said he was duped into acknowledging that he owed the money and demanded an audit into State House accounts. The case between the Office of the President and Kaulinge was removed from the High Court roll yesterday, signalling settlement.”It was removed because it has been settled,” acting Government Attorney Ray Goba confirmed on inquiry.”I can confirm that Mr Kaulinge has agreed to pay the full amount [claimed by Government].He has made satisfactory arrangements with our clients,” Goba said.Government lawyers filed a lawsuit against Kaulinge in April, demanding that he pay more than N$400 000 he had acknowledged owing by signing a document in May 2002.Kaulinge resigned from State House in 2001, where he served as Secretary to the Presidency.He said the Secretary to the President, who is the administrative chief, Dr Ndeutala Angolo, had tricked him into accepting that he owed Government money by saying the document was only meant to ward off the parliamentary committee on public accounts from pressing on the unaccounted money and to “avoid embarrassment to the President”.He said the bulk of the money was used for the “electioneering campaign” in 1999 and that he had handed the receipts over to Angolo.Kaulinge also said in his affidavit that people at State House were handed “substantial amounts” of cash to carry – at times more than N$1 million – to pay for “incidental costs” in the presidential entourage.”More often than not, this involved, especially in rural areas, purchases from cuca shops and, on occasion, even a goat or cattle to be slaughtered, from a member of the public,” Kaulinge wrote in his opposing affidavit.It is not clear why Kaulinge has now agreed to pay the full amount even before the audit he demanded has been conducted.The Namibian understands that Kaulinge stood to lose his pension from public service if the Government had succeeded in the court case.The case has highlighted a tense relationship that has long existed between the two top presidential aides since Kaulinge was moved from the Office of the Prime Minister to State House.Angolo has declined to comment on the matter.Neither Kaulinge nor his lawyers were available for comment yesterday.The case between the Office of the President and Kaulinge was removed from the High Court roll yesterday, signalling settlement.”It was removed because it has been settled,” acting Government Attorney Ray Goba confirmed on inquiry.”I can confirm that Mr Kaulinge has agreed to pay the full amount [claimed by Government].He has made satisfactory arrangements with our clients,” Goba said.Government lawyers filed a lawsuit against Kaulinge in April, demanding that he pay more than N$400 000 he had acknowledged owing by signing a document in May 2002.Kaulinge resigned from State House in 2001, where he served as Secretary to the Presidency.He said the Secretary to the President, who is the administrative chief, Dr Ndeutala Angolo, had tricked him into accepting that he owed Government money by saying the document was only meant to ward off the parliamentary committee on public accounts from pressing on the unaccounted money and to “avoid embarrassment to the President”.He said the bulk of the money was used for the “electioneering campaign” in 1999 and that he had handed the receipts over to Angolo.Kaulinge also said in his affidavit that people at State House were handed “substantial amounts” of cash to carry – at times more than N$1 million – to pay for “incidental costs” in the presidential entourage.”More often than not, this involved, especially in rural areas, purchases from cuca shops and, on occasion, even a goat or cattle to be slaughtered, from a member of the public,” Kaulinge wrote in his opposing affidavit.It is not clear why Kaulinge has now agreed to pay the full amount even before the audit he demanded has been conducted.The Namibian understands that Kaulinge stood to lose his pension from public service if the Government had succeeded in the court case.The case has highlighted a tense relationship that has long existed between the two top presidential aides since Kaulinge was moved from the Office of the Prime Minister to State House.Angolo has declined to comment on the matter.Neither Kaulinge nor his lawyers were available for comment yesterday.