One guilty plea in SSC fraud case

ONE of the suspects in a case in which a former employee of the Social Security Commission and 63 co-accused are charged with defrauding the SSC of close to half a million Namibia dollars yesterday pleaded guilty to theft by false pretences.

Windhoek resident Nataniel Willibard gave his plea before Magistrate Dinnah Usiku in the Windhoek Regional Court shortly after the case against former SSC employee Maxwell Spanneberg and three of his co-accused had been postponed to Tuesday next week.Spanneberg (32) is facing 83 charges of corruption, alternatively fraud, involving a total of N$440 470,83. It is alleged that on 83 occasions from October 20 2001 to August 22 2006 Spanneberg processed and facilitated the payment of false sick leave claims filed with the SSC, where he was employed at the time.With the charges against Spanneberg and his co-accused having been divided into four groups in which Spanneberg featured as the first accused in each group, the trial of Spanneberg and three of the other accused was scheduled to start yesterday.That did not happen, however, and their case was postponed to Tuesday next week.The trial of another of the 63 people who had been charged with Spanneberg got off to a start before Magistrate Usiku, though, when Willibard pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by false pretences.Willibard admitted that on July 13 2006 he and one of the other accused in the case, David Swartz, made a misrepresentation to the SSC that he was entitled to sick leave benefits. As a result of that misrepresentation the SSC paid out N$7 200 to him, Willibard admitted.Swartz is facing 39 charges in the case.In a plea explanation that he gave to Magistrate Usiku, Willibard stated that at the time the theft was committed he was going through a financial crisis. He was in arrears with his instalments on his car and the bank wanted to repossess the vehicle, he related.He claimed that at that time Swartz approached him and told him there was a way to make some quick money through the SSC.’I was reluctant in the beginning but I eventually succumbed to the temptation,’ Willibard stated.He related that he gave Swartz his particulars and on July 13 2006 received a cheque of N$7 200 that had been issued to him. He stated that he cashed the cheque and shared the money with Swartz. Willibard added that he did not know how Swartz managed to get his false sick leave claim processed.He informed the court that he knew what he was doing was unlawful and that he could be punished for it.’I deeply regret my action,’ Willibard added, stating that to show his remorse he was offering to pay back the money he unlawfully received from the SSC.Willibard is set to return to court today for the hearing of evidence and arguments before he is sentenced.