Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani on Thursday questioned the deputy minister of finance and public enterprises, Maureen Hinda-Mbuende, on why the auditor general is not tabling the audited financial reports of defence company August 26 Holdings in parliament.
“For many years the government was denying that there was a need for those books to be audited because of security reasons, and so forth, until the ombudsman agreed with me that they need to be audited,” he said.
“We know there was corruption at August 26. Why did the auditor general refuse to release the report of August 26 after so many years of us pursuing August 26?
“Up to now no report has been tabled,” he said.
Venaani asked the deputy minister when the auditor general planned to table the report in parliament.
“Because I am alive to the fact that they have done their work, but they are sitting on the report deliberately, and we know what’s behind it,” he said.
In response, Hinda-Mbuende said the question is paramount, but not urgent.
“I would therefore request the honourable member to put it in writing, and we will deal with the questions,” she said.
The Namibian last September reported that August 26 Logistics suspended its managing director, Salatiel Ntinda, and finance manager, Karel (‘Kallie’) Nel, over their alleged roles in the disappearance of N$2,5 million from the military-owned company.
The two were suspended in June after news broke that the company lost N$2,5 million in a questionable loan deal, which was allegedly transferred from the company’s accounts without board authorisation.
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