I did not allocate fishing rights – Esau

Former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau says he was not directly involved in the allocation of fishing rights, adding that such duties were vested in the office of the ministry’s executive director.

He also denied having any knowledge of how briefcase fishing company Namgomar Pesca conducted its business.

Namgomar was the commercial vehicle allegedly used by the Fishrot accused to gain access to Namibia’s fisheries resources.

Former Samherji boss Jóhannes Stefánsson at the time revealed that there was an agreement for Samherji to pay 75% of usage fees for fishing quotas obtained by Namgomar Pesca to a company in the United Arab Emirates owned by one of the Fishrot accused, and the remaining 25% to the Namibian government.

Having received over 50 000 tonnes of fish during its time in Namibia, Namgomar allegedly received about N$40 million from its Icelandic partner, while over N$65 million is said to have been channelled to the James Hatuikulipi-owned Tundavala Invest in Dubai.

“Allegations that I was in cahoots with the co-accused are totally untrue. The fisheries agreement which gave birth to Namgomar came a long way, even before my time as fisheries minister,” Esau said.

He added: “The accusations against me are uncalled for and I will not accept a situation where I was arrested and my house ransacked. I feel sad, seeing that I have worked for my country since childhood".

‘I am called Fishrot’

As the afternoon progressed - and Esau told his side of the story - the former cabinet minister became agitated while narrating how the Fishrot albatross has eroded his dignity since his arrest in 2019.

“I am called Fishrot these days, and my family too. This thing has totally damaged our dignity,” he said before asking the court to adjourn for a short break.

The agreement was a collective document worked on by all relevant government departments and there was nothing sinister about it, he later said.

“The fact that I illustrated to the court that this agreement was one that came about prior to my time through the two governments speaks volumes. I was not responsible for any impropriety or matters that emanated from this agreement.”

He also denied claims made by Stefansson that they were constantly meeting to devise the scheme.

Esau further indicated that he had no idea about the workings of Namgomar, nor did he know what his son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi’s involvement with Samherji was.

“I was not aware of how Namgomar conducted their business, whether they were adding value or just selling the fish as is, because I was not briefed by the executive director.”

He added: “Accusations on Namgomar in reference to a purported agreement which was concluded for the benefit of myself and my co-accused, and not for benefit of the two countries, are totally untrue”.

“There was also no mutually-beneficial relationship between me and my [son-in-law]. He never introduced those companies to me.”