Staff Reporter
THE Karasburg town councillors who were arrested earlier this week, including the Mayor, Maria Veldskoen, Franciskus Skeyer, and the council’s acting chief executive officer (CEO), Hansina Christian, were denied bail on Tuesday after appearing in the Karasburg Magistrate’s Court in the //Kharas region.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) arrested the Landless People’s Movement councillors on Monday. They were charged with one count of conspiring, a violation of Section 43 of the Anti-Corruption Act, as well as abuse of power, a violation of Section 46 of the ACC Act of 2003. The councillors will proceed with bail applications on Friday.
The arrest of the two councillors and the Mayor comes after the Karasburg town council was raided by the Anti-Corruption Commission in early September.
It is reported that the council found itself at odds with Erastus Uutoni, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, who penned a letter to the Mayor last month and accused councillors of changing signatory powers of the council’s bank accounts, which he said is a violation of the local authority councillors’ code of conduct.
In addition to this, Uutoni questioned the appointment of the personal assistant to the Mayor, Kallie Goliath, which the minister said is not provided for in the local authority’s structure.
The Minister also alleged that the appointment of a law firm at the cost of N$64,000 to assist the council on legal matters was in violation of the State Finance Act, the Public Procurement Act, and the Local Authorities Act. In addition to this, the minister voiced that the appointment of a security company for N$16,000 a month had also not been budgeted for.
The Landless People’s Movement has, however, denounced the arrest of the Mayor as well as two councillors, stating that it is a mere administrative issue.
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