Former Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Bernard Esau and son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi have been denied bail in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court. Magistrates Duard Kesslau said it will not be in the public interest to grant bail given the magnitude of the case which involves crime, syndicate and money laundering, which prompted many public protests. The duo is accused of having defrauded the Namibian public with millions of dollars through the Fishrot scandal. It is alleged that the Icelandic company Samherji paid vast amounts of dollars to a syndicate involved in the decision making around fishing quotas. Former Justice Minister Sacky Shanghala and former Investec manager James Hatuikulipi, the cousin of Tamson, are coaccused in the scam. Both Tamson and Esau offered properties with millions of dollars as collateral for bail. They also said they were not flight risks and we're willing to hand in their travel documents. Kesslau further indicated that there are lots of unanswered questions. The two didn't stand for cross-questioning during the bail application and Kassleu stated this was part of their constitutional rights. The magistrate further indicated the Standard Bank account of Esau is still active with transactions taking place, which defeats the argument that there is no money to pay his workers and run his farming activities.