The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) finalised 22 corruption cases in court, with 11 accused persons being convicted during the 2022/2023 financial year.
Briefing the media here Thursday, ACC Executive Director Tylvas Shilongo said during the period under review, the commission received 142 cases to investigate of which 87 were finalised. Among the concluded cases, 22 were brought before the court, resulting in the conviction and imprisonment of 11 accused persons.
Shilongo said two accused individuals received direct imprisonment, while nine were given the option of fines or jail sentences. Additionally, 38 case dockets were submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office for a decision under Section 31 of the Anti-Corruption Act.
He also said the shortage of investigators has resulted in a backlog of 241 cases for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years. The commission currently has 36 investigators.
Other challenges contributing to the backlog include the absence of functional and specialised courts to handle corruption-related cases, as well as delays in finalising alleged corruption cases before the court.
“There is a need for the commission to create more positions for investigators with relevant expertise. Another challenge is the shortage of regional offices. Currently, the commission only has four regions – Khomas, Erongo, Otjozondjupa and Oshana,” he said.
Shilongo indicated that the ACC’s public education and corruption prevention directorate is actively engaged in educating the public about the dangers of corruption and the various methods available to report suspected corruption, and emphasised that the fight against corruption should involve everyone.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency