Niël Terblanché
The Namibian High Court has in Friday ordered the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) to pay its former chief executive officer (CEO), Augustinus Katiti, N$2,5 million with interest.
Judge Hannelie Prinsloo presided over the case and also dismissed the counter claim by NIP.
Furthermore, the NIP was held liable for the legal costs incurred by Katiti.
The legal battle stems from Katiti’s dismissal from his role as CEO in 2018 amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
The dismissal led Katiti to pursue legal action against NIP, demanding a payout of N$3.8 million for a clause in his contract that purportedly protected him from working with competitors for two years post- termination.
NIP, however, countered with accusations against Katiti, alleging financial damage during his tenure as CEO, and initially sought a staggering N$14 million in reparations.
The heart of NIP’s claim revolved around purported wrongful acts by Katiti, including the controversial purchase of vehicles and furniture, and withdrawals from investment accounts that allegedly were not in the parastatal’s best interest.
Among the contested expenditures was the purchase of furniture, which Katiti’s lawyer clarified was not from Italy as alleged but from a company based in South Africa, and at a significantly lower cost than reported by NIP.
Katiti vehemently denied the accusations, dismissing them as fabrications and asserting his innocence.
Through his legal representation, Katiti argued that the information leaked to the media was distorted and accused the NIP board of deliberately misleading the public.
