NAC forensic audit ‘a hot potato’

THE Namibia Airports Company (NAC) would rather accept guilt for the unfair dismissal of some of its senior staff than release a forensic audit report, alleged to implicate some top managers in “serious irregularities”, according to sources close to the NAC.

Reliable sources say the State-owned airports entity is prepared to negotiate a higher settlement in the case of of four officials from its Finance, Administration and Information Technology Department who were controversially dismissed. Prior to being given the boot, the officials, including General Manager Francis Liswaniso, had been on forced leave since mid-July last year after the discovery of a multi-million-dollar fraud scam.They were fired two weeks ago after numerous attempts since last year to haul them before a disciplinary hearing failed because they demanded that they first be given the forensic audit report.However, NAC Chairman, John Akwenye, has denied that the company’s Board of Directors was sitting on the report of the forensic investigation to protect certain individuals.Initially, the company apparently offered to pay the dismissed workers’ accrued leave days and their pension contributions only.But, The Namibian understands that the dismissed employees have rejected the offer and have approached their lawyers to challenge their “unfair dismissal”.A source close to the NAC charged that the company “would rather risk losing millions [of dollars] in a payout settlement because that report will put some big guys’ jobs on the line”.The report is said to have been completed in September last year.”As far as I know the prosecuting agent [the company] offered to make a disclosure of the report, but they [the accused officials] did not accept it as they alleged that there was information being withheld from them,” Akwenye said.”[On] the basis of that it was then decided that they can go to court to demand the information they were alleging.”Akwenye was reluctant to discuss the four officials’ controversial dismissal and their subsequent threat to approach the courts.”If they think it [the dismissal] is unfair, they have the right to go to court, and it is up to the court to determine the fairness and unfairness of the decision,” he said.The three other fired officials are:Financial Accountant Sigfried Neumann; System Administrator Raimo Hasheela; and his assistant, Alfred Shaduka.The main suspect in the scandal, which cost the NAC over N$3,5 million, was the company’s former management accountant, Simwanza Lilungwe, who committed suicide hours after the massive fraud was uncovered.Prior to being given the boot, the officials, including General Manager Francis Liswaniso, had been on forced leave since mid-July last year after the discovery of a multi-million-dollar fraud scam.They were fired two weeks ago after numerous attempts since last year to haul them before a disciplinary hearing failed because they demanded that they first be given the forensic audit report.However, NAC Chairman, John Akwenye, has denied that the company’s Board of Directors was sitting on the report of the forensic investigation to protect certain individuals.Initially, the company apparently offered to pay the dismissed workers’ accrued leave days and their pension contributions only.But, The Namibian understands that the dismissed employees have rejected the offer and have approached their lawyers to challenge their “unfair dismissal”.A source close to the NAC charged that the company “would rather risk losing millions [of dollars] in a payout settlement because that report will put some big guys’ jobs on the line”.The report is said to have been completed in September last year.”As far as I know the prosecuting agent [the company] offered to make a disclosure of the report, but they [the accused officials] did not accept it as they alleged that there was information being withheld from them,” Akwenye said.”[On] the basis of that it was then decided that they can go to court to demand the information they were alleging.”Akwenye was reluctant to discuss the four officials’ controversial dismissal and their subsequent threat to approach the courts.”If they think it [the dismissal] is unfair, they have the right to go to court, and it is up to the court to determine the fairness and unfairness of the decision,” he said.The three other fired officials are:Financial Accountant Sigfried Neumann; System Administrator Raimo Hasheela; and his assistant, Alfred Shaduka.The main suspect in the scandal, which cost the NAC over N$3,5 million, was the company’s former management accountant, Simwanza Lilungwe, who committed suicide hours after the massive fraud was uncovered.