Northland City sold off Corruption charges ‘to be cancelled’

THE beleaguered Northland City Project – planned to be Namibia’s largest business and entertainment centre – at Helao Nafidi, formerly known as Oshikango, has been sold for over N$5 million to a group of Namibians from the Ohangwena Region.

Antoine Mbok Investment Holdings and Mbok Investments Company, majority shareholders in the Northland Develop­ment Project, have transferred their shareholding of 60 per cent to PNL Business Solutions headed by Magistrate Peter Kavaongelwa. The deal was reportedly clinched on Friday.The project has been mired in a web of controversy, with its main operator, Antoine Tony Mbok, alleging that former board members were trying to sabotage the project which has, so far, remained a pipe dream since it was unveiled nearly a year ago.”PNL Business Solutions will assume immediate control of both the board of directors and management of Northland Development Project Limited …,” says a statement released by Mbok yesterday.He added that there would be a 90 day transitional period, and that he, Mbok, would become a consultant once a new board had been installed.According to documents sent to The Namibian, the decision to sell was reached after an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting with the main funder of the project’s initial dealings.The Namibian has it on record that PNL had been on a quest to launch a similar project – called Northgate – before it acquired Northland City.Recently, the Northland City Project matter took a nasty turn.Mbok, then Northland Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, wrote to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director, Erna van der Merwe, accusing Northland’s former board members of attempting to sabotage the project.The billion-dollar project – to be situated on the border with Angola – is an ambitious state-of-art complex including an 18-hole golf course, business centre, offices, shops, nightclub, amusement parks, a waterfront, cinemas, a track and soccer stadium and a zoo.In December, the then board of directors was disbanded, resulting in the dismissal of Namibia’s former ambassador to South Africa, Shapua Kaukungua, and other well-known Swapo names – Kandy Nehova and Karlous Shinohamba.The subsequent board was mostly made up of foreigners led by Mbok, and included Robert Kennedy, Sunensh Indhur and Gerry Lynch.Mbok had alleged that former board chairman Kaukungua had interfered in the re-registration of the company and that the former board members were sabotaging agreements that Northland had with the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) and Nedbank.Mbok then claimed that he was in possession of ‘written evidence’ of corruption in the Helao Nafidi Town Council.Mbok claimed that the complaint he lodged with the ACC was to initiate investigations into the alleged sabotage and corrupt activities.Contacted for comment at that time, Van der Merwe said the ACC was investigating the matter.However, yesterday Mbok revealed that neither he nor the new owners of the project would now pursue the corruption charges and were most likely to bring back on board the Northland board members dismissed last year.”This deal automatically cancels any legal action engaged by Northland against its former directors, avoiding what would have been costly years of court battles,” said Mbok.The deal was reportedly clinched on Friday.The project has been mired in a web of controversy, with its main operator, Antoine Tony Mbok, alleging that former board members were trying to sabotage the project which has, so far, remained a pipe dream since it was unveiled nearly a year ago.”PNL Business Solutions will assume immediate control of both the board of directors and management of Northland Development Project Limited …,” says a statement released by Mbok yesterday.He added that there would be a 90 day transitional period, and that he, Mbok, would become a consultant once a new board had been installed.According to documents sent to The Namibian, the decision to sell was reached after an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting with the main funder of the project’s initial dealings.The Namibian has it on record that PNL had been on a quest to launch a similar project – called Northgate – before it acquired Northland City.Recently, the Northland City Project matter took a nasty turn. Mbok, then Northland Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, wrote to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director, Erna van der Merwe, accusing Northland’s former board members of attempting to sabotage the project.The billion-dollar project – to be situated on the border with Angola – is an ambitious state-of-art complex including an 18-hole golf course, business centre, offices, shops, nightclub, amusement parks, a waterfront, cinemas, a track and soccer stadium and a zoo.In December, the then board of directors was disbanded, resulting in the dismissal of Namibia’s former ambassador to South Africa, Shapua Kaukungua, and other well-known Swapo names – Kandy Nehova and Karlous Shinohamba.The subsequent board was mostly made up of foreigners led by Mbok, and included Robert Kennedy, Sunensh Indhur and Gerry Lynch.Mbok had alleged that former board chairman Kaukungua had interfered in the re-registration of the company and that the former board members were sabotaging agreements that Northland had with the Roads Contractor Company (RCC) and Nedbank.Mbok then claimed that he was in possession of ‘written evidence’ of corruption in the Helao Nafidi Town Council.Mbok claimed that the complaint he lodged with the ACC was to initiate investigations into the alleged sabotage and corrupt activities.Contacted for comment at that time, Van der Merwe said the ACC was investigating the matter.However, yesterday Mbok revealed that neither he nor the new owners of the project would now pursue the corruption charges and were most likely to bring back on board the Northland board members dismissed last year.”This deal automatically cancels any legal action engaged by Northland against its former directors, avoiding what would have been costly years of court battles,” said Mbok.