A LIST of people who may have been intended to benefit from clinching the Avid deal with the Social Security Commission has finally surfaced.
A sheet of paper from a notepad embossed with the logo of the Sheraton Pretoria Hotel was allegedly found by a Telecom worker in the Avid offices last week while he was removing the telephone system in the offices. When he returned to the dock to testify in the inquiry into the Social Security Commissions N$30 million investment with Avid last week, Namangol Investments CEO Nico Josea told the court that he had been given a scrap of paper by Avid mastermind Lazarus Kandara, with a list of names and amounts of money.On the list is written the name “Tuli” and alongside it N$250 000, (possibly Tuli Hiveluah, the suspended SSC CEO) and Mulder, N$150 000 (possibly Gideon Mulder, the former SSC Finance Manager).Below that the figure N$180 000 is written alongside the word “Group”, N$60 000 alongside the name “Sandmann” and two figures, N$ 170 000 and N$137 000, both written next to the word “Office”.At the bottom of the page a total amount of N$947 000 is written.On the reverse of the note are phone numbers, the words “boilerhouse”, “Thursday”, the name “Hans Jacobs”, the time “14:30”, the initials “P.A” and ostensibly a money figure “12 500.00”.Josea appeared both excited and surprised when he saw copies of the note on the desk of the legal counsel when he arrived in court after lunch for the first time yesterday.Dressed in the blue windbreaker he has been wearing to court ever since his arrest three weeks ago, he told lawyers before the start of proceedings that they had the paper he had been talking about.It appeared that he had not known that the note had been found.MYSTERY CALLER Acting Judge Raymond Heathcote told the court yesterday that he had been called by a man at his home on Sunday night, with the caller claiming to be possession of the list Josea had told the court about last week.Heathcote said he had referred the caller to Andrew Corbett, the SSC’s legal counsel.Corbett in turn said that a certain “James” had called him on Monday, saying he got the paper from a certain “Hengari” who worked at Telecom.The paper was then handed to the Registrar of the High Court and copies were distributed to legal counsel involved in the inquiry.When Josea was last in the dock, he claimed that the paper had been handed to him by Kandara and that it was in Namangol’s offices.But after being accompanied by the Police to retrieve it, he returned to say it couldn’t be found.But the court was left in suspense as to what Josea might have to add about the note, now that it had been found, not at his office, but the Avid office.His legal counsel, Jaco van Rooyen from South Africa, was not in court, and Josea said he was not prepared to testify in his absence.After Sisa Namandje, legal counsel for Paulus Kapia, informed the court in the morning that Van Rooyen was only scheduled to arrive later in the day, Heathcote appeared unhappy that he was still not there after the lunch recess.From the start of proceedings, Heathcote stressed the limited time available and wanted Josea to proceed instead with testimony not related to new evidence before the court.But Josea would not have none of that either, asking Heathcote: “Your lordship, are you punishing me?” When Van Rooyen did eventually arrive, he approached Heathcote in chambers to say he needed more time to study new information presented to the court since late last week.Proceedings will now start earlier today to allow for Josea’s testimony.Brigadier Mathias Shiweda and the Acting Secretary General of the National Youth Council, Ralph Blaauw, have both been subpoenaed to appear in court today and their legal counsel said yesterday that they would definitely be ready to testify.Shiweda is an Avid director alleged to have received N$40 000 in “commission” from Kandara’s wife, Christophine.He has subsequently submitted an affidavit to the court denying ever having met Mrs Kandara or receiving any money from her.Heathcote expressed the wish to have the affidavit entered into the court record, saying that the information it contained may be of further interest to the inquiry.Only the Kandaras’ lawyer, Lucius Murorua, objected to this, and Heathcote then agreed to stay the decision until Shiweda appeared in court.Blaauw is the husband of Avid director Sharon Blaauw and although he holds no position within the company, he has been fingered as having been key to securing the deal for Avid.He is alleged to have also received N$40 000 from Mrs Kandara and of having collected the same amount on Kapia’s behalf.Last week, he denied having used the name of former President Sam Nujoma to persuade suspended SSC Manager Avril Green to give Avid the N$30 million.He also denied that he had claimed that Nujoma held hidden shares in Avid.When he returned to the dock to testify in the inquiry into the Social Security Commissions N$30 million investment with Avid last week, Namangol Investments CEO Nico Josea told the court that he had been given a scrap of paper by Avid mastermind Lazarus Kandara, with a list of names and amounts of money.On the list is written the name “Tuli” and alongside it N$250 000, (possibly Tuli Hiveluah, the suspended SSC CEO) and Mulder, N$150 000 (possibly Gideon Mulder, the former SSC Finance Manager).Below that the figure N$180 000 is written alongside the word “Group”, N$60 000 alongside the name “Sandmann” and two figures, N$ 170 000 and N$137 000, both written next to the word “Office”.At the bottom of the page a total amount of N$947 000 is written.On the reverse of the note are phone numbers, the words “boilerhouse”, “Thursday”, the name “Hans Jacobs”, the time “14:30”, the initials “P.A” and ostensibly a money figure “12 500.00”.Josea appeared both excited and surprised when he saw copies of the note on the desk of the legal counsel when he arrived in court after lunch for the first time yesterday. Dressed in the blue windbreaker he has been wearing to court ever since his arrest three weeks ago, he told lawyers before the start of proceedings that they had the paper he had been talking about.It appeared that he had not known that the note had been found.MYSTERY CALLER Acting Judge Raymond Heathcote told the court yesterday that he had been called by a man at his home on Sunday night, with the caller claiming to be possession of the list Josea had told the court about last week.Heathcote said he had referred the caller to Andrew Corbett, the SSC’s legal counsel.Corbett in turn said that a certain “James” had called him on Monday, saying he got the paper from a certain “Hengari” who worked at Telecom.The paper was then handed to the Registrar of the High Court and copies were distributed to legal counsel involved in the inquiry.When Josea was last in the dock, he claimed that the paper had been handed to him by Kandara and that it was in Namangol’s offices.But after being accompanied by the Police to retrieve it, he returned to say it couldn’t be found.But the court was left in suspense as to what Josea might have to add about the note, now that it had been found, not at his office, but the Avid office.His legal counsel, Jaco van Rooyen from South Africa, was not in court, and Josea said he was not prepared to testify in his absence.After Sisa Namandje, legal counsel for Paulus Kapia, informed the court in the morning that Van Rooyen was only scheduled to arrive later in the day, Heathcote appeared unhappy that he was still not there after the lunch recess.From the start of proceedings, Heathcote stressed the limited time available and wanted Josea to proceed instead with testimony not related to new evidence before the court.But Josea would not have none of that either, asking Heathcote: “Your lordship, are you punishing me?” When Van Rooyen did eventually arrive, he approached Heathcote in chambers to say he needed more time to study new information presented to the court since late last week.Proceedings will now start earlier today to allow for Josea’s testimony.Brigadier Mathias Shiweda and the Acting Secretary General of the National Youth Council, Ralph Blaauw, have both been subpoenaed to appear in court today and their legal counsel said yesterday that they would definitely be ready to testify.Shiweda is an Avid director alleged to have received N$40 000 in “commission” from Kandara’s wife, Christophine.He has subsequently submitted an affidavit to the court denying ever having met Mrs Kandara or receiving any money from her.Heathcote expressed the wish to have the affidavit entered into the court record, saying that the information it contained may be of further interest to the inquiry.Only the Kandaras’ lawyer, Lucius Murorua, objected to this, and Heathcote then agreed to stay the decision until Shiweda appeared in court.Blaauw is the husband of Avid director Sharon Blaauw and although he holds no position within the company, he has been fingered as having been key to securing the deal for Avid.He is alleged to have also received N$40 000 from Mrs Kandara and of having collected the same amount on Kapia’s behalf.Last week, he denied having used the name of former President Sam Nujoma to persuade suspended SSC Manager Avril Green to give Avid the N$30 million.He also denied that he had claimed that Nujoma held hidden shares in Avid.
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