Former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernhardt Esau has refuted claims that the fishing corruption scandal has resulted in an estimated 18 000 job losses in the fishing industry.

Esau maintained that the job losses were a result of the illegal strike the workers undertook.

At the height of the events surrounding the Fishrot scandal, fishermen who were employed by the Samherji-owned Saga Seafood, which operated from Walvis Bay, closed down.

These fishermen were subsequently robbed of their livelihood.

Saga Seafood said it failed to secure any catch agreements with other local companies, resulting in its closure.

Samherji is at the center of the international fishing bribery scandal, which implicates former Namibian ministers Sacky Shanghala and Bernhard Esau, as well as local businessmen.

Samherji reportedly secured access to horse mackerel quotas in Namibia by allegedly paying bribes of around N$150 million to politicians and businessmen between 2012 and 2018.

Following the scandal, the company announced in 2020 that it was disinvesting in its operation in Namibia.

The state is alleging that the fishing sector suffered massive job losses as a result of the unethical and corrupt practices undertaken by Esau and his co-accused persons.

But Esau denies these allegations and informed Judge David Munsu that the "Fishrot Scandal" did not rob those who were employed in the fishing sector of their livelihoods but that they lost jobs because they took part in an illegal strike demanding better wages and benefits.

The state will start to cross-examine Esau on May 2.