Nujoma sues Green for N$3m

LAWYERS representing former President Sam Nujoma have served a former manager at the Social Security Commission (SSC), Avril Green, with a summons demanding N$3 million in damages.

Sisa Namandje, Nujoma’s lawyer, confirmed yesterday that they were suing Green. This came in the wake of their having served summons on The Namibian, in which the former President claimed damages of N$5 million for alleged defamation.The Namibian’s report on August 10 2005, headlined ‘Nujoma named in Avid scandal’, was based on an affidavit by Green submitted to a Companies Act inquiry on the missing SSC investment of N$30 million.The probe was headed by acting Judge Raymond Heathcote.Green alleged in his affidavit that he had been approached by Ralph Blaauw, a former Swapo MP, on January 3 last year.”He [Blaauw] told me that he had been sent by a 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.More than a year after the report was published in The Namibian, Nujoma’s lawyers served summons on the newspaper and senior court reporter Werner Menges for allegedly implying that Nujoma was corrupt.Lawyers for The Namibian have already filed notice of their intention to defend the case.The Companies Act hearing last August turned into a sensational case in which the unveiling of corrupt deals made headlines for weeks.The expose also toppled a number of top names in Namibia, leading to the demise of the then SSC Chief Executive, Tuli Hiveluah, who quit his post on the eve of a disciplinary hearing; the discrediting of former Swapo Youth League Secretary General, Paulus Kapia, who resigned his ministerial post; and, most sensational of all, the shooting death of Lazarus Kandara, one of the Avid kingpins.Without divulging much about the content of the summons, Namandje said yesterday that Green faced “almost the same” charges as the newspaper.The papers were apparently served on Green on September 26.Green was fired by the Social Security Commission 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.He has subsequently taken the company to court, 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 when he 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, Green 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.It was not possible to reach Green for comment on the summons at the time of going to press yesterday to establish whether he will contest the case, and his lawyer was unavailable.This came in the wake of their having served summons on The Namibian, in which the former President claimed damages of N$5 million for alleged defamation.The Namibian’s report on August 10 2005, headlined ‘Nujoma named in Avid scandal’, was based on an affidavit by Green submitted to a Companies Act inquiry on the missing SSC investment of N$30 million.The probe was headed by acting Judge Raymond Heathcote.Green alleged in his affidavit that he had been approached by Ralph Blaauw, a former Swapo MP, on January 3 last year.”He [Blaauw] told me that he had been sent by a 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.More than a year after the report was published in The Namibian, Nujoma’s lawyers served summons on the newspaper and senior court reporter Werner Menges for allegedly implying that Nujoma was corrupt.Lawyers for The Namibian have already filed notice of their intention to defend the case.The Companies Act hearing last August turned into a sensational case in which the unveiling of corrupt deals made headlines for weeks.The expose also toppled a number of top names in Namibia, leading to the demise of the then SSC Chief Executive, Tuli Hiveluah, who quit his post on the eve of a disciplinary hearing; the discrediting of former Swapo Youth League Secretary General, Paulus Kapia, who resigned his ministerial post; and, most sensational of all, the shooting death of Lazarus Kandara, one of the Avid kingpins.Without divulging much about the content of the summons, Namandje said yesterday that Green faced “almost the same” charges as the newspaper.The papers were apparently served on Green on September 26.Green was fired by the Social Security Commission 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.He has subsequently taken the company to court, 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 when he 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, Green 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.It was not possible to reach Green for comment on the summons at the time of going to press yesterday to establish whether he will contest the case, and his lawyer was unavailable.