KATIMA MULILO - After keeping everyone in suspense and suspending court proceedings for the day, the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court convened at around 17h30 and a calm-looking CEO of the town council, Raphael Liswaniso, appeared before court on three charges of alleged corruption.

The late court session seemed to have been well planned to keep members of the media and the public from attending the cour, as the CEO’s alleged corruption case set tongues wagging at the town following his arrest at Mpacha airport on Sunday at 12h30, after he arrived from a work-related assignment.

Liswaniso was granted bail of N$20,000 when he made a brief appearance before Magistrate Jo-Rina Jagger in the Katima Mulilo court at around 17h30 yesterday.

He faces three charges of corruption, namely, corruptly using public office for self-gratification, fraud and contravening the Procurement Act after he allegedly awarded a tender after he was ordered not to do so by the procurement review committee.

New Era reported in March that Omatando Construction Company, owned by Kornelius Mbangula and Linken Chibozu, accused the Katima Mulilo Town Council of corruptly awarding a tender to construct sewers worth about N$3 million to a Chinese-owned company ABC Investments.
At the time, Liswaniso had denied any wrongdoing.

Although details are still sketchy, New Era has it on good authority that this is the tender that appears to have landed the CEO in trouble. Court records reveal that N$1.4 million of the N$3.3 million which was quoted by the bidder has already been paid. Liswaniso was granted bail under conditions that he does not go near the premises of the town council, as well as interfere with witnesses. Esther Jaffet appeared for the State. The case was postponed to October 4 to allow room for further investigations.