Namcor fraud accused denies bribery claims

Former National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) managing director Imms Mulunga received an Audi Q8 vehicle valued at about N$3.2 from Victor Malima, who is wanted in connection with alleged fraud and corruption at Namcor, the state is alleging.

The allegation is made in one of the charges against Mulunga in the case in which he and eight other individuals were arrested last week.

Mulunga is charged with seven counts, according to the current version of the state’s charges in the matter.

The charges against him include a count of corruptly accepting gratification, in which the state is alleging that between 15 and 18 August 2022 Mulunga corruptly accepted from Malima an Audi Q8 valued at about N$3.2 million as a reward for facilitating the purchase of nine service stations and the supply of fuel to the company, Enercon Namibia, and the close corporation, Erongo Petroleum, without payment.

Businessman Peter Elindi, who is one of the individuals charged with Mulunga, yesterday said he is not aware of bribes claimed to have been paid to former senior executives of Namcor.

Elindi said this when asked about payments allegedly made to a personal bank account of former Namcor supply and logistics manager Cedric Willemse and an account of a close corporation of former Namcor finance executive Jennifer Hamukwaya’s husband in July 2022.

Elindi (60) also said he was not aware that Malima, who is related to him and is a fugitive wanted in connection with the Namcor case, allegedly bribed Mulunga by buying the Audi Q8 for Mulunga in August 2022.

The alleged payments were made shortly after Namcor had paid N$53.2 million to Enercon Namibia, of which Elindi was a shareholder and board of directors chairperson, in July 2022. The N$53.2 million was paid as part of a transaction in which Namcor bought nine service stations at Namibian Defence Force (NDF) bases throughout Namibia from Enercon.

Elindi, who testified for a third day in a bail hearing in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court yesterday, told magistrate Linus Samunzala that Namcor bought Enercon’s “right, title and interest in and to” the fuel stations at the military bases for N$53.2 million.

With that deal, the right to use the pumps and tanks at Enercon’s service stations at NDF bases was sold to Namcor, but the fuel station assets remain Enercon Namibia’s until 2031, when a 15-year fuel supply agreement between Enercon and the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs would come to an end, according to Elindi.

He has denied that he defrauded Namcor with the transaction.

Cross-examining Elindi yesterday, state advocate Basson Lilungwe questioned him about a bank statement showing that after Namcor had paid a total amount of N$53.2 million to Enercon, N$9.5 million was paid from an account of Enercon to an account of Eco Trading CC, a close corporation of Malima, on 19 July 2022.

Elindi said that payment was for fuel which Eco Trading had supplied to Enercon.

Lilungwe informed him that a bank statement also records that N$1.47 million was paid from Eco Trading’s account to an account of another close corporation, Quality Meat Supplies, on 20 July 2022.

That payment was followed by a payment of N$960 000 from Quality Meat Supplies’ account to a bank account of Willemse, while N$500 000 was paid into an account of the close corporation Panduleni Farming of Hamukwaya’s husband, Panduleni Hamukwaya.

Elindi said he was not aware of those payments. Lilungwe continued that Malima bought an Audi Q8 vehicle for Mulunga, that the car is registered in someone else’s name, and that Eco Trading is paying for the insurance on the car.

He is not aware of the purchase of a car for Mulunga, Elindi said.

He did not play a role in Eco Trading’s transactions, Elindi said: “My role ended when we transferred money to Eco Trading. I was not in charge of Eco Trading. The activities of Eco Trading and the dealings of Eco Trading were not handled by me, I was not briefed. Victor Malima was completely independent in his decision-making.”

With Lilungwe putting it to Elindi that Quality Meat Supplies was used as a conduit to launder or steal money and distribute it to Willemse and Panduleni Farming, Elindi responded: “No. For me it ends when I transfer the money to Eco [Trading] for purpose of fuel supply. What Eco Trading did with that money I don’t know.”

He further said: “I’ve got nothing to do with all of those transactions. Those names of Quality Meat and all of them I’m hearing for the first time when I’m in these proceedings.”

The bail hearing is continuing.

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