Labour Court keeps Green on hold

AVRIL Green, former manager of the Social Security Commission, will have to wait at least a few more days before knowing his fate.

Green, former general manager of finance, was fired from the SSC in March after an internal disciplinary hearing found him guilty of gross negligence and dereliction of duty for his role in transferring N$30 million in SSC funds to Avid Investment Corporation. The drama surrounding the botched investment gripped the nation for months on end, as an array of politicians, well-known Namibians and SSC officials found themselves taking centre stage in a public hearing set up to find out what happened to the N$30 million.Green was one of the SSC officials called to testify.This week the Windhoek District Labour Court “postponed indefinitely” his labour challenge, pending the outcome of a conference held at the Ministry of Labour.Lawyers for the two parties met at what is called a rule-six conference to see if they could settle the dispute out of court.An affidavit Green submitted to the High Court during last year’s Avid-SSC inquiry Green’s lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, earlier served the SSC with court papers demanding his immediate reinstatement and the payment of his monthly salary of N$55 000, backdated to March.He also demanded that the company pay for all losses suffered while Green was dismissed and the legal costs incurred in defending his case.Green was reported to be involved in some of the earliest meetings when directors of Avid first approached the SSC with a proposal that it should channel investments through the company.For his part, he claimed that he was told that the Swapo Party Youth League had shares in Avid and that “a higher authority” had sent the directors to the SSC to solicit investments from it.The last word on the saga has not yet been written, with the case continuing to reverberate on the national stage.On Friday, lawyers acting on behalf of former President Sam Nujoma served papers on The Namibian, claiming N$5 million in damages.The summons claims that by reporting on evidence given by Green in his affidavit during the public inquiry, the newspaper had implied that Nujoma was corrupt.Nujoma’s name was mentioned in Green’s affidavit submitted in the High Court.Green alleged in his affidavit that he had been approached by Ralph Blaauw, former Swapo MP, on January 3 last year and was told that “he [Blaauw] had been sent by higher authority to introduce Avid Investment Corporation (Pty) Ltd to the SSC”.”He told me that he represents Avid … and that 80 per cent of the shares in the Investment Company belongs to the Swapo Party Youth League which resorts under the President of Namibia.He also told me that the President had a share in the company but that it would not be disclosed anywhere,” Green said in the affidavit, which was widely reported in the media.More than a year later, Nujoma’s lawyers served this newspaper with the N$5 million claim.The drama surrounding the botched investment gripped the nation for months on end, as an array of politicians, well-known Namibians and SSC officials found themselves taking centre stage in a public hearing set up to find out what happened to the N$30 million.Green was one of the SSC officials called to testify.This week the Windhoek District Labour Court “postponed indefinitely” his labour challenge, pending the outcome of a conference held at the Ministry of Labour.Lawyers for the two parties met at what is called a rule-six conference to see if they could settle the dispute out of court.An affidavit Green submitted to the High Court during last year’s Avid-SSC inquiry Green’s lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, earlier served the SSC with court papers demanding his immediate reinstatement and the payment of his monthly salary of N$55 000, backdated to March.He also demanded that the company pay for all losses suffered while Green was dismissed and the legal costs incurred in defending his case.Green was reported to be involved in some of the earliest meetings when directors of Avid first approached the SSC with a proposal that it should channel investments through the company.For his part, he claimed that he was told that the Swapo Party Youth League had shares in Avid and that “a higher authority” had sent the directors to the SSC to solicit investments from it.The last word on the saga has not yet been written, with the case continuing to reverberate on the national stage.On Friday, lawyers acting on behalf of former President Sam Nujoma served papers on The Namibian, claiming N$5 million in damages.The summons claims that by reporting on evidence given by Green in his affidavit during the public inquiry, the newspaper had implied that Nujoma was corrupt.Nujoma’s name was mentioned in Green’s affidavit submitted in the High Court.Green alleged in his affidavit that he had been approached by Ralph Blaauw, former Swapo MP, on January 3 last year and was told that “he [Blaauw] had been sent by higher authority to introduce Avid Investment Corporation (Pty) Ltd to the SSC”.”He told me that he represents Avid … and that 80 per cent of the shares in the Investment Company belongs to the Swapo Party Youth League which resorts under the President of Namibia.He also told me that the President had a share in the company but that it would not be disclosed anywhere,” Green said in the affidavit, which was widely reported in the media.More than a year later, Nujoma’s lawyers served this newspaper with the N$5 million claim.