From The Namibian

A complaint was handed in at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) last week about the alleged corrupt conduct of the former acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Erica Akuenje, after she made a double travel allowance claim for the same trip.

The complaint against Akuenje, who until last year was chairperson of the Namibia Tourism Board, comes amid several calls for a forensic investigation by staff and some managers who accused NTB chief executive officer Digu //Naobeb and the board of directors of mismanagement and favouritism. The staff said Akuenje’s case was not isolated.

The ACC confirmed receiving the complaint, but its director, Paulus Noa, said he would peruse the documents before deciding on what action to take, since he started work yesterday.

Akuenje received a cheque of N$35 111 from the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) in 2010 as subsistence and travelling (S&T) allowances for a two-week excursion to Europe to attend the World Travel Market Trade Fair.

At the same time, after coming back home in Namibia, Akuenje allegedly also claimed S&T from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

The Namibian is in possession of a government claim form for S&T allowances amounting to N$12 723. This amount was approved.

Akuenje last week said of the close to N$50 000 in S&T payments for a 14-day trip: “That’s nothing.”

Considering the position she held as well as the destinations to which she traveled, N$50 000 was not a lot of money, she emphasized.

Read More at The Namibian