Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Timo Shihepo
Published on 2024-03-17 06:00:00
Suspended National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) managing director Immanuel Mulunga’s nephew, Denzel Mulunga (21), along with three other individuals, Simeon Shilongo (38), Jason Malima (26), and Graham Platt (46), have been arrested by the police in connection with the theft of fuel worth N$1 million from the state-owned oil company. The arrests took place between February and March, and each individual is facing charges of theft, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit theft.
Jason Malima is related to Victor Malima, the chief executive of Enercon, a military contractor company that has been taken to court by Namcor for failing to pay back N$60 million owed to the oil company. In addition to the four individuals arrested, two Namcor engineers and a financial staff member were questioned by the police but were not arrested. Nonetheless, they have been suspended by Namcor pending further investigation.
The arrests were confirmed by the Erongo regional police commander, Nikolaus Kupembona. The four individuals are accused of operating a syndicate that stole fuel from the government-owned oil storage facility at Walvis Bay between December 7, 2023, and January 25, 2024. The facility is owned by the government but operated by Namcor.
According to the police charge sheet, the accused engaged in an arrangement to steal diesel from Namcor, totaling 79,000 liters valued at N$1 million during the specified period. The scheme involved concealing or disguising the nature, source, location, disposition, movement, and ownership of the stolen property and money.
Sources within the police department revealed that Mulunga, Shilongo, and Malima collaborated with three Namcor employees to execute the theft and subsequently sold the stolen fuel to Graham Platt. The employees allegedly received kickbacks totaling at least N$400,000 for their involvement in the scheme. After the theft, Namcor dispatched a team to enhance the security system at the Walvis Bay facility to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Immanuel Mulunga, who has been suspended as Namcor’s managing director since April 2023, distanced himself from his nephew’s involvement in the crime, stating that Denzel should answer for himself. Victor Malima, CEO of Enercon, denied any knowledge of the fuel theft at Namcor, emphasizing that his company has not engaged in any trading activities with the oil company for the past 16 months.
Despite loading documents suggesting that the stolen fuel was destined for a customer site, there is no evidence of the product being received by the bulk fuel customer. The four suspects appeared in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court to apply for bail, and the case has been postponed to March 28.
Overall, the fuel theft case involving Namcor has raised concerns about the internal controls and security measures within the state-owned oil company. The ongoing investigations will shed more light on the matter and determine the extent of involvement of the arrested individuals in the syndicate responsible for the theft.
Read the original article on The Namibian
