Administration corruption is more damaging than any other form of corruption and those who are involved are not needy in most cases, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Acting Director-General, Paulus Noa, has said.

Noa made the remarks at the stakeholders’ consultative meeting held by the ACC here on Tuesday, for input into its 2021-2025 National Anti-Corruption Strategic Action Plan (NACSAP).

“Greediness is killing this country. The people that are stealing is because of greediness. These people who are stealing in this country are not in need but are well-off people and after stealing they do not even circulate the money in the Namibian economy but instead take it to other countries, developed countries,” stressed Noa.

He said corruption is a social vice afflicting countries globally with no exception to Namibia and that if left unchecked, it may develop into a chronic economic disease.

“Corruption undermines good governance, the rule of law and weakens institutions which are pillars of economic growth. Corruption has the potential to destroy tax revenue collection. It is a fact that when investors and taxpayers evade paying tax, it results in the destruction of the economy and sometimes this happens with the corrupt collusion of officials in key positions,” he said.

Noa added that such corrupt officials, at times, employ delaying tactics in service delivery in order to extort citizens who seek service to offer them bribes and it is unacceptable as such officials betray the public trust and sabotage the economy and the country’s development.

Speaking at the same event, ||Kharas Regional Council chairperson, Joseph Isaaks, said if Namibia has good policies and strategies in place to fight corruption but has no commitment from relevant stakeholders, then the fight to curb corruption will be difficult.

“We need collective efforts. We need to fight together. It is painful to note that poverty is a result of corruption. We can argue that Namibia is not corrupt and that only certain individuals are, but the bottom line is that there are those that are becoming wealthy at the expense of others,” he stressed.

Source: Namibia Press Agency