The Fishrot scandal trial faces delays amid legal and financial challenges. This came out during the status hearing for the trial.
In a dramatic twist of events, the trial in the infamous Fishrot scandal, which has captivated the nation, is encountering significant challenges that could impact the proceedings.
The case involves high-profile figures and allegations of corruption, leading to a flurry of legal debates and courtroom drama.
Fishrot accused Tamson Hatuikulipi and his wife, Ndapandula Hatuikulipi, have escaped a lawsuit after reaching a settlement agreement with L.I.T. Construction and Formwork CC.
The couple was being sued for over N$600,000.
Hatuikilipi and his wife, according to court papers, would supply building equipment for the construction of a property in Windhoek and subsequently generate and render the plaintifs' monthly Debtors Transaction Report for services rendered.
The bail hearing of the former Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister, Bernhardt Esau, has been postponed to the 9th of June.
Esau is implicated in one of the biggest multimillion-dollar fishing corruption scandals.
In today's hearing, the former minister confirmed having received an amount of N$150,000 in his farming account from his son-in-law, Tamson Hatukuilipi, in 2012.
The court wanted Esau to explain the transaction, to which he replied that it was payment for 25 cattle he sold to Hatukulipi.
Former Fisheries Minister Bernhardt Esau points fingers at key figures in an explosive testimony.
In a gripping turn of events at the High Court, former Fisheries Minister Bernhardt Esau took to the stand during his bail application to reveal shocking details of his alleged involvement in the notorious "Fishrot" scandal.
Esau made a jaw-dropping revelation, claiming that his name was falsely implicated by his co-accused in the exposed web of corruption that spans multiple individuals and reaches the high echelons of power.
The Former Minister of Marine Resources Bernhardt Esau asserted that Namibia and its citizens benefited from an agreement that was entered into with Angola.
Esau said this during the continuation of his bail hearing application.
The agreement between the two countries resulted in the establishment of Namgomar Pesca, a joint venture company that played a significant role in the Fishrot fishing quota fraud and corruption case.
According to state prosecutors, Namgomar Pesca was granted questionable fishing quotas during Bernhardt Esau's tenure as minister.
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.
The Office of the Prosecutor General wrote to Fishrot accused, Nigel van Wyk's legal representative, confirming that the State will consider favorably an offer he allegedly made to plead guilty to the charge of attempting to obstruct the course of justice.
The Prosecutor General's Office also states in the same letter that it will take into consideration the time Van Wyk has spent in custody and will therefore not counter his legal team's submission that he be slapped with a fine and a suspended sentence.
Fishrot accused and former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernhardt Esau told the High Court on Thursday that his co-accused, specifically Mike Nghipunya, used his name to distribute and sell fishing quotas while redirecting funds meant for Governmental Objectives for their own benefit.
A three-judge Supreme Court bench has dashed all hopes of bail for six 'Fishrot' accused when it dismissed their appeal against the High Court's refusal to grant bail.
The appellants challenged a discrepancy between the transcribed version and the signed version of April 11, 2022, judgment.
However, the Supreme Court ordered in its judgment that paragraph 81 of the signed judgment be removed so as not to conflict with the transcribed one.
In a major development in the 'Fishrot' fishing quota fraud and corruption case, the Supreme Court has dismissed the bail appeals of six of the men charged in the case. The decision was announced earlier today.
Former Justice Minister Sacky Shanghala, his business partner James Hatuikulipi, former Fishcor Chief Executive Officer Mike Nghipunya, Pius Mwatelulo, Otneel Shuudifonya, and Phillipus Mwapopi lodged their appeals after their bail applications were dismissed in the High Court in April last year.
