Tamson 'Fitty' Hatuikulipi, one of the key figures in the "Fishrot" fishing quotas fraud and corruption case, was denied bail by a High Court Judge.

Acting Judge David Munsu says while the court accepts the new facts brought to court by Hatuikulipi imploring the court to release him, they do not change the grounds on which he had previously been denied bail.

This was the businessman's third attempt to be granted bail.

Hatuikulipi brought new facts to the High Court, where he informed Judge David Munsu that the investigations into the matter have been concluded, which eases the state's fear that he might interfere with investigations.

He also informed Munsu that there is no reason for him to abscond should he be released on bail.

But Judge Munsu did not entertain any of the new facts.

"The grounds raised, being the pre-trial incarceration, protracted trial, and deterioration of the applicant's personal circumstances, although new, do not establish a new perspective that impacts on the old facts."

During his bail application, Hatuikulipi informed the court that his continued pre-trial detention has had a severe emotional and psychological impact on him.

He stated that the facilities at the Windhoek Corrections Facility are not sufficient and pointed out that since his arrest he has been struggling to pay for his properties.

The Fishrot accused, apart from Ricardo Gustavo, have all been denied bail over the past three years.

However, Gustavo's freedom lasted nearly a year, as his bail was reversed by the Supreme Court after a successful appeal by the Prosecutor General's office.

The former head of the Namibian Fisheries Ministry, Bernhardt Esau, and Nigel Van Wyk are the most recent to seek bail at the High Court.

Their matter is also being heard by Acting Judge David Munsu, who postponed the matter to February 27 of next year.

Hatuikulipi is the son-in-law of the now-former Fisheries Minister Bernhardt Esau; the two, together with former Justice Minister Sackey Shanghala and seven others, stand accused of defrauding Namibia's fishing industry of millions of dollars.

Their arrest came in November of 2019 after Johannes Stefanson released documents on WikiLeaks, which led to foreign investigative media house Al Jazeera producing an incriminating 51-minute documentary.

The once-millionaires have, since their arrest, become accustomed to the Namibian courts, and their fight for the taste of freedom has been relentless.