The Week's Newspaper
| ACC Boss unfazed by Hailulu?s High Court ruling |
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| Thursday, 12 February 2009 11:23 | |||
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GRAFT combating watchdog body, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director Paulus Noa says the charges of corruption against National Housing Enterprise (NHE) boss, Vinson Hailulu will be decided by the Prosecutor General’s office.
“The Prosecutor General has to decide whether prosecution against Hailulu will continue or be halted,” said Noa, in reaction to a statement by Hailulu’s lawyers declaring that justice has been done pending the main High Court review application. In a statement on behalf of Hailulu, his lawyer Sisa Namandje said, “Our client remains determined and committed to protecting his rights through appropriate action in the High Court as entitled to in terms of Article 25 of the Namibian Constitution.” Namandje said the High Court has, on an interim basis, declared the criminal proceedings (case) currently pending in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court invalid, and his arrest effected on 27 November 2008 to be “unlawful”. The court further set aside any process issued by the Magistrate Court, including bail conditions imposed on him as a result of the arrest. Noa told Informanté that he respected the High Court ruling but maintained that Hailulu’s case is at the Prosecutor general’s Office waiting for a decision. “The High Court judgment is an interim relief. This is just an interim order (by the High Court,” he said. “Our interpretation of the law says that the ACC must arrest without seeking the Magistrates authority. “There are a lot of irregularities at the NHE and we will continue to investigate as per our (ACC) mandate,” he added. Hailulu and several other senior NHE managers face allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation, believed to have cost the parastatal millions of dollars. Pending the hearing of the main application, the High Court on an interim basis, set aside the decision of the ACC and its Director to conduct an investigation against Hailulu.
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