Oshakati Receiver ‘guilty on 9 charges’

OSHAKATI Receiver of Revenue Hans Haraseb has been found guilty on nine charges of misconduct under the Public Service Act.

Despite a recommendation two months ago that he be dismissed, Haraseb, who was implicated in a massive tax-fraud ring in the North, remains on full pay as he is still appealing his conviction, Permanent Secretary of Finance Calle Schlettwein confirmed this week. “Yes, Mr Haraseb was found guilty on all the charges and we made a recommendation to the Public Service Commission that he be dismissed,” Schlettwein said in an interview on Tuesday.While he declined to discuss any specifics, Schlettwein indicated that further civil and criminal charges against Haraseb could not be excluded.It has been reliably established that after failing to have charges against him dismissed at an initial disciplinary hearing in December, Haraseb asked for a postponement.By April he had failed to make an appearance at a scheduled disciplinary hearing.Instead, he asked in writing for yet another postponement because, he said, he had changed lawyers.The Ministry of Finance, however, ruled that he should be tried in absentia, and he was found guilty of nine charges formulated against him after an extensive investigation that brought to light other alleged wide-ranging irregularities, it has been established.Haraseb was still on the Government payroll, the Public Service Commission confirmed yesterday.Under Secretary for the Public Service Commission Secretariat, Morimunu Kavitjene, confirmed that they were still considering Haraseb’s appeal after receiving his file on April 13.Until a final decision had been made, Haraseb remained on full pay, Kavitjene said in an interview.While civil servants suspected of misconduct had to be charged within 14 days and tried at a disciplinary hearing within 21 days, there was nothing in law that stipulated how long an appeal against such a finding could be stretched out, Kavitjene said.He added that the PSC usually tried to finalise such matters within 30 days of receiving the documentation, but conceded that the Haraseb case had now been with them longer than expected.”We are busy reviewing every line of every document we have received …until we have done that, we cannot make a final ruling,” Kavitjene said.The allegations against Haraseb were exposed in The Namibian about a year ago.It was the prelude to a wide-ranging – and still ongoing – tax investigation that saw tax revenue boosted by an extraordinary N$1,3 billion for taxpayers in north central Namibia, Schlettwein said.In the wake of this, Tsumeb’s so-called ‘Sugar King’ Kallie Grunschloss was also charged with fraud and theft, as well as other criminal charges on top of a tax assessment of about N$150 million.A number of prominent businesses in the North such as Fysal Fresh, Punyu and others were also audited as a result and given punitive tax assessments, The Namibian has previously reported.Haraseb and Grunschloss were not the only outstanding cases stemming from the investigation at the Oshakati Receiver of Revenue offices – another official, Abder Davids, still faces charges, Schlettwein said.The same applied to dismissed Chairman of the GIPF Board of Trustees Maru Tjihumino, he said.”They are now playing the game, lodging cases with the Labour Court and so on, but we will proceed against all of them,” Schlettwein said.”As it turned out, this was a very necessary thing to do and we will continue doing this (investigation),” Schlettwein said.”We are determined to proceed and implement the law fully against all of them.”* John Grobler is a freelance reporter”Yes, Mr Haraseb was found guilty on all the charges and we made a recommendation to the Public Service Commission that he be dismissed,” Schlettwein said in an interview on Tuesday.While he declined to discuss any specifics, Schlettwein indicated that further civil and criminal charges against Haraseb could not be excluded.It has been reliably established that after failing to have charges against him dismissed at an initial disciplinary hearing in December, Haraseb asked for a postponement.By April he had failed to make an appearance at a scheduled disciplinary hearing. Instead, he asked in writing for yet another postponement because, he said, he had changed lawyers.The Ministry of Finance, however, ruled that he should be tried in absentia, and he was found guilty of nine charges formulated against him after an extensive investigation that brought to light other alleged wide-ranging irregularities, it has been established.Haraseb was still on the Government payroll, the Public Service Commission confirmed yesterday.Under Secretary for the Public Service Commission Secretariat, Morimunu Kavitjene, confirmed that they were still considering Haraseb’s appeal after receiving his file on April 13.Until a final decision had been made, Haraseb remained on full pay, Kavitjene said in an interview.While civil servants suspected of misconduct had to be charged within 14 days and tried at a disciplinary hearing within 21 days, there was nothing in law that stipulated how long an appeal against such a finding could be stretched out, Kavitjene said.He added that the PSC usually tried to finalise such matters within 30 days of receiving the documentation, but conceded that the Haraseb case had now been with them longer than expected.”We are busy reviewing every line of every document we have received …until we have done that, we cannot make a final ruling,” Kavitjene said.The allegations against Haraseb were exposed in The Namibian about a year ago.It was the prelude to a wide-ranging – and still ongoing – tax investigation that saw tax revenue boosted by an extraordinary N$1,3 billion for taxpayers in north central Namibia, Schlettwein said.In the wake of this, Tsumeb’s so-called ‘Sugar King’ Kallie Grunschloss was also charged with fraud and theft, as well as other criminal charges on top of a tax assessment of about N$150 million.A number of prominent businesses in the North such as Fysal Fresh, Punyu and others were also audited as a result and given punitive tax assessments, The Namibian has previously reported.Haraseb and Grunschloss were not the only outstanding cases stemming from the investigation at the Oshakati Receiver of Revenue offices – another official, Abder Davids, still faces charges, Schlettwein said.The same applied to dismissed Chairman of the GIPF Board of Trustees Maru Tjihumino, he said.”They are now playing the game, lodging cases with the Labour Court and so on, but we will proceed against all of them,” Schlettwein said.”As it turned out, this was a very necessary thing to do and we will continue doing this (investigation),” Schlettwein said.”We are determined to proceed and implement the law fully against all of them.”* John Grobler is a freelance reporter