PM’s advisor denies offering bribe

MATTHEW Gowaseb, Special Advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister, yesterday joined the line of witnesses to testify in the High Court’s inquiry into the Social Security Commission’s investment of N$30 million through Avid Investment Corporation.

Gowaseb took the stand to deny that he had made any sort of offer of a bribe to SSC Chairperson Frans Kapofi. Gowaseb was allowed to testify at his own request to respond to claims that Kapofi, who is also the Secretary to Cabinet and a colleague of Gowaseb in the Office of the Prime Minister, made before Acting Judge Raymond Heathcote on Monday.Kapofi indicated to the court that Gowaseb had made a veiled offer of a bribe or kickback to him when they had a late-night meeting at Kapofi’s house on an unknown date in June.According to Kapofi, Gowaseb had asked to see him.During the meeting Gowaseb asked if Kapofi could speak to the Chief Executive Officer of the SSC, Tuli Hiveluah, to ask him to give Avid another two weeks to repay the SSC’s N$30 million investment.Gowaseb also mentioned that if Avid could get such an extension, there would be “a delivery” made to Kapofi, the SSC chairman told the court.In his evidence, Gowaseb admitted that such a meeting took place during the first week of June.He said in his line of work, many people – whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, of one ethnic origin or another – approached him to ask for help with matters involving Government.He took Kandara’s request for assistance as one more example of this.Kandara told him that Avid needed more time – only a few days – to sort out “technical difficulties” the company was experiencing in repatriating the SSC’s money, Gowaseb told the court.After he had told Kapofi that the person who had asked for his help was complaining that Avid was being treated differently to other companies with which the SSC had invested money, and to which the SSC had granted extensions of the repayment date, Kapofi gave him a quite different version of events around the Avid investment, Gowaseb said.He said Kapofi had told him: “You are an honourable man and I don’t want these people to pull you into their lies.”He told the court that after the meeting, he reported back to Kandara that Kandara needed redouble his efforts to return the money to the SSC.Shortly after the meeting, though, he heard that Kapofi had told his fellow SSC Commissioners – the other members of the SSC board – that he had offered Kapofi a bribe.He further heard that the this had also been reported to President Hifikepunye Pohamba, Gowaseb said.He immediately wrote a letter to Kapofi to dispute the claim, Gowaseb said.”My motive and purpose remains service to the people,” he remarked, before stating that he had never had any previous dealings with any of the principals of Avid, never received any instructions from Avid principals to make an offer of a bribe on their behalf, and had never offered any bribe on their behalf.An allegation that Kapofi had claimed that he was offered money if he could get the SSC to extend the deadline for the repayment of the Avid investment was first made in an affidavit from Avril Green, the suspended General Manager: Finance and Administration at the SSC, that has been filed with the court.That entire affidavit has not actually become evidence in the inquiry, Acting Judge Heathcote pointed out yesterday, when one of the lawyers involved in the hearing, Sisa Namandje, indicated to the court that he wanted to ask that parts of the statement be struck out as evidence because it was hearsay evidence.Gowaseb was allowed to testify at his own request to respond to claims that Kapofi, who is also the Secretary to Cabinet and a colleague of Gowaseb in the Office of the Prime Minister, made before Acting Judge Raymond Heathcote on Monday.Kapofi indicated to the court that Gowaseb had made a veiled offer of a bribe or kickback to him when they had a late-night meeting at Kapofi’s house on an unknown date in June.According to Kapofi, Gowaseb had asked to see him.During the meeting Gowaseb asked if Kapofi could speak to the Chief Executive Officer of the SSC, Tuli Hiveluah, to ask him to give Avid another two weeks to repay the SSC’s N$30 million investment.Gowaseb also mentioned that if Avid could get such an extension, there would be “a delivery” made to Kapofi, the SSC chairman told the court.In his evidence, Gowaseb admitted that such a meeting took place during the first week of June.He said in his line of work, many people – whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, of one ethnic origin or another – approached him to ask for help with matters involving Government.He took Kandara’s request for assistance as one more example of this.Kandara told him that Avid needed more time – only a few days – to sort out “technical difficulties” the company was experiencing in repatriating the SSC’s money, Gowaseb told the court.After he had told Kapofi that the person who had asked for his help was complaining that Avid was being treated differently to other companies with which the SSC had invested money, and to which the SSC had granted extensions of the repayment date, Kapofi gave him a quite different version of events around the Avid investment, Gowaseb said.He said Kapofi had told him: “You are an honourable man and I don’t want these people to pull you into their lies.”He told the court that after the meeting, he reported back to Kandara that Kandara needed redouble his efforts to return the money to the SSC.Shortly after the meeting, though, he heard that Kapofi had told his fellow SSC Commissioners – the other members of the SSC board – that he had offered Kapofi a bribe.He further heard that the this had also been reported to President Hifikepunye Pohamba, Gowaseb said.He immediately wrote a letter to Kapofi to dispute the claim, Gowaseb said.”My motive and purpose remains service to the people,” he remarked, before stating that he had never had any previous dealings with any of the principals of Avid, never received any instructions from Avid principals to make an offer of a bribe on their behalf, and had never offered any bribe on their behalf.An allegation that Kapofi had claimed that he was offered money if he could get the SSC to extend the deadline for the repayment of the Avid investment was first made in an affidavit from Avril Green, the suspended General Manager: Finance and Administration at the SSC, that has been filed with the court.That entire affidavit has not actually become evidence in the inquiry, Acting Judge Heathcote pointed out yesterday, when one of the lawyers involved in the hearing, Sisa Namandje, indicated to the court that he wanted to ask that parts of the statement be struck out as evidence because it was hearsay evidence.