Niël Terblanché
The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) has suspended one of its staff members after uncovering a fraudulent tax refund scheme tied to the Mass Tax Refund Initiative.
The scheme led to the illegal payout of over N$666 000 to 47 individuals between January and April 2025.
NamRA confirmed in a statement on Monday that the staff member was suspended and that the secondment of a Ministry of Finance official involved in the matter had been revoked.
Three suspects linked to the scheme were arrested and appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court last week on fraud charges.
An internal investigation revealed that the fraud involved registering newly added taxpayers, most of whom were unemployed and had no tax liability.
“In most instances, the registration would be done without the knowledge of the concerned persons, using their identity documents and personal banking details,” NamRA’s chief for strategic communications and support engagements, Yarukeekuro Ndorokaze, stated.
According to Ndorokaze, the fraudulent registrations were used to claim refunds for tax periods as far back as 2011.
He said once the payments were made, the money was funnelled to the perpetrators through mobile and digital wallet banking platforms.
NamRA urged the public not to share personal banking or identification information with third parties for tax-related services.
“Tax refunds are processed directly via NamRA offices and authorised platforms,” he said.
NamRA reaffirmed its commitment to fighting corruption, saying it remains committed to zero tolerance, high integrity, transparency, and public trust.
The agency said it will continue to root out fraudulent activities that compromise tax administration.
