Defence Minister, Peter Vilho. Photo: NAMPA former Defence Minister’s offshore account in Hong Kong, China will be returned back home. D...
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| Defence Minister, Peter Vilho. Photo: NAMPA |
former Defence Minister’s offshore account in Hong Kong, China will be returned back home.
Defence Minister Peter Vilho has confirmed owning a unit trust account with HSBC bank in Hong Kong, which had a market value of N$3.4 million as of September 2020, but did not list it in the asset registry at Parliament as required by law.
Vilho confirmed that he has had the offshore account for 12 years, but his submission of assets and sources of income at Parliament – which he signed on 2 June 2020 – does not reflect the account. When the office of the Audit General asked questions, he did not answer any questions on why he omitted to list personal finances, offshore assets and the source of income. Instead, the defence minister listed two houses, Mahangu field, a plot of 10% in Aussenkher Energy PTY Ltd.
Based on the prima fact surrounding this embezzlement case the Prosecutor-general (PG) Martha Imalwa gave authorization for a primary investigation into Vilho’s corruption practices, and particularly the probe on foreign bank account in Hong Kong. Advocate Martha Imalwa and the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia (ACC) were informed long ago before the information leaked to the media include to whistleblowers and AR activists.
Thanks for the first tip-off from three members of the Defence Intelligence (DI) who were posted there under non-official cover (NOC) at the Namibia Consulate in Bowrington, Hong Kong.
It has been noted that in 2017 when Peter Vilho became an Executive Director of the Ministry of Defence and later elevated to the role as a defence policymaker, he wholeheartedly was working to dismantle the structure of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and this brought him in the attention of the ''RED EYES'', the Directorate of Defense Intelligence (DDI). There are more, findings and rumours with a lot of information that could be prosecutable in the court of law however, much has been kept under the carpet for the fear of revealing the national secrecy.
Continue: Another account of the defence minister is in Namibia that was used to transfer N$1.5 million into the account of former chief of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), Martin Shalli. Shalli was charged for such fraud related to large amounts of money allegedly given to him by a company that had a contract with NDF, which he was in charge of at the time.
The alleged payment from Vilho’s Hong Kong account to Shalli was made around the time the latter’s money from China was forfeited to the State, the PG said. ‘My prerogative’ Commenting on Vilho’s account yesterday, Imalwa said: "We sent requests to China and Hong Kong and we haven’t received feedback. We had to make an application.
It a criminal matter and I have a mandate to ask for information. What I know is that the police requested for information in terms of the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, to get information through diplomatic channels". Vilho’s offshore banking activities were revealed to the public by Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda, who continues to questioning and stating that the defence minister is corrupt and must be fired. Vilho has consistently denied and challenged his detractors to take their evidence against him to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Yesterday, he told the media that he has been banking in Hong Kong for over 12 years prior to becoming executive director in the ministry of defence in 2017. He was appointed the commander of the maritime wing of the NDF in 2002, a position he held before becoming executive director in 2017 and minister of the same portfolio in 2020. Vilho yesterday said where he banks his money is a decision only he can make - and not anyone else.
“I became a minister in 2020 and an executive director in 2017. Before that, I have been a private citizen like everyone else,” the 59-year-old minister said. “I suppose what I do with my money is my prerogative.”
Corruption levelled by Amupanda has been on Vilho’s trail for several months and President Hage Geingob was bombarded to recall his defence minister. Amupanda separately claimed that Vilho sanctioned a N$200 million transfer from the defence ministry to its commercial arm, August 26 Holding Company, in 2017 without Treasury approval. Amupanda claimed to be in possession of a report in which the transaction is listed.
According to the mayor, the report stated that the defence ministry bought naval ships and military uniforms from Brazilian companies at inflated prices and without following tender procedures during Vilho's term as executive director. In response, Vilho said if this report was an official one from the auditor-general, the current executive director should be able to respond to that.
Calle Schlettwein, the minister of finance when the alleged transfer took place, told the media at the time that he was unaware of such a transfer. “I tried to establish [the facts] and there was no payment to August 26 [from the finance ministry]; there was also no budget for August 26. There was no money provided in the budget to be paid to August 26 from finance.
Whether the defence ministry paid it, that I do not know,” he said. Auditor-general Junias Kandjeke has over the years complained that his work is adversely affected by the defence ministry's reluctance to share its financial reports for auditing. The ministry has consistently used national security as a reason why it would not open up its books to the state officials for auditing.
The Directorate of Defense Intelligence (DDI) is responsible for providing intelligence on foreign militaries, friendly forces, and domestic. As a national counterintelligence directorate, it conducts security eavesdropping, information collection, intelligence analysis, reporting, intelligence sharing, support technical operations, and other traditional military activities, as assigned, in support of Namibia Defence Force (NDF) and maintains the National Security.
Now 40 years into my second career as an intelligence specialist since DDI, I have progressed from being an SRX 2200 P25 radio operator for Electronic Warfare to now leading a global network of smart and motivated intelligence analysts. During my military professional journey.
I have learned the tradecraft of the entire intelligence management cycles, briefed by the highest levels of shadow government – including the two former presidents – and been offered many opportunities for military advice, aiding coup d'état, mercenary duties, rebellion and have worked with scientists, intelligence professionals, mafias and criminals both in Namibia and internationally.