The former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernhardt Esau, returned to the Windhoek High Court this afternoon, where he informed Justice David Munsu that he has no reason to flee the country if granted bail.
 
Esau, during his last appearance, assured the court that he could pay a sum of N$200,000 for his temporary freedom.

He faces a myriad of charges, in which over N$350 million was allegedly embezzled.

It was the state's turn to cross-examine the erstwhile minister, but advocate Clive Lutibezi's questions were met with multiple objections from Esau's legal representative, who described the prosecutor's questions as a "glorious waste of time".

Esau started off by disclosing his assets to the court; among them was the controversial Otjiwarongo farm, Plot CC51, which the state is alleging was bought with money from dubious dealings in the fishing sector.

Advocate Lutibezi also wanted to know if the former minister ever owned a black iPhone with a double SIM card.

And Esau responded that he was offered a black iPhone by people who introduced themselves as investors.

The former minister stated that he never used it and returned it, as he only accepted the iPhone with two SIM cards as a kind gesture.

Provided with a transcript of the conversation where he asked for the iPhone, Esau informed the court that he does not recall some parts of the conversation.

The former minister further accused Al Jazeera investigative journalists of compiling a selective transcript and only providing material that fit their preferred narrative of alleged bribery.

Esau further informed Judge Munsu that the fact that he has already purchased a gravesite at Swakopmund's Mondesa's graveyard makes it improbable for him to abscond.

Bernhardt Esau informed the prosecutor that he, during his testimony, debunked all the state's evidence levelled against him as untrue.

From the dock, Esau also denied having personally known some of his co-accused and their businesses prior to the revelations, which exposed a scandal of epic proportions in the fishing sector.

Esau also maintained that he never knowingly, willingly, or intentionally got involved in awarding fishing quotas, licences, or rights under the guise of Governmental Objectives to companies owned by some of his co-accused.

Probed if he then negligently signed off millions of dollars to companies in which his co-accused had stakes, Esau did not provide a straight response, saying he had asked a co-accused to verify the list of beneficiaries, that he trusted his co-accused, and that he was merely doing his ministerial duties.