Second ‘ghost teacher’ arrested

A SECOND man has been arrested and has appeared in court in connection with the ‘ghost teachers’ scam at the Ministry of Education.

Anti-Corruption Commission director Paulus Noa yesterday confirmed that Nauyalla Akunangondo was arrested by NamPol last year after an investigation into a different matter uncovered evidence of his possible involvement in the ‘ghost teachers’ scam.Noa said the Police docket of the investigation was handed over to the ACC following Akunangondo’s arrest late last year, as the ACC was already investigating the matter.Towards the end of November, the ACC arrested Laurentius van Wyk, an official employed by the Education Ministry, for his alleged involvement in the ‘ghost teachers’ scam.Van Wyk has been charged under the Anti-corruption Act with corruptly using his office and/or his position for personal gratification.Van Wyk appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on November 30 and then again on December 9 for a formal bail application. Van Wyk was granted bail of N$60 000 by Magistrate Justine Asino, which he paid.Akunangondo has also been charged under the Anti-Corruption Act, with bribery of a public official. He appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on December 16, where bail was set at N$20 000 but it was lowered to N$15 000. Akunangondo has not paid bail and is still in custody.Noa has said that Akunangondo is not an employee of the Ministry of Education.The matter was postponed to February 24 for further investigation.Last year a local daily newspaper reported that it is believed that the Education Ministry has lost millions of dollars through fraud, mainly fake salary submissions to the ministry’s payroll office by teachers and education officers who don’t actually work for the ministry.It is believed that these fraudsters cooperate with ministry staff in regional educational offices, who help to submit fake documents to the payroll offices.Noa said the ACC has begun focusing on people within the ministry, adding that it is believed that Van Wyk was one of a number of ‘inside men’ driving the scam.According to a media report, corrupt officials submit the names of ‘ghost staff’ to the payroll office pretending that the individual is fully employed by the ministry and that the payroll office should prepare a payslip for the individual.Under fake pretences, these individuals are paid monthly salaries by the Ministry of Education, and it is believed that the money is shared by the fraudsters and the corrupt officials.Noa would not divulge much about the case as the matter is still under investigation, but it is believed that fake employees submit what is known as an ‘appointment advice,’ a letter which is presented to the Ministry’s payroll office as proof of appointment.Noa said an individual’s identity document is used to process that person as a newly appointed teacher. The individual is then ‘posted’ to one of the outlying regions and put on the highest possible salary grade.Noa has called on the Ministry of Education to audit its payroll system so that other similar cases could be identified.In one reported incident, an individual reportedly received a monthly salary of N$14 000 for one year and eight months, totalling N$280 000, without being uncovered as a fake teacher.