I'm still poor - Esau
“What did I get? Until now, I am still a poor Esau. I rely on my pension fund and savings I generated through farming operations."
These are the words of former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, who was testifying in his bail application in the Windhoek High Court last week.
He was responding to a document - minutes of a meeting between him, four of his Fishrot co-accused and Samherji representatives - which came to light.
Esau insisted that he is an innocent pawn in the Fishrot plot. He testified that his co-accused - including former justice minister Sacky Shanghala - misused his name to carry out their underhanded plans, and maintained that he was not aware of the alleged corruption.
"People who are in ministers' delegations... they do their things and the minister will not know what is happening," he testified.
Minutes
Public prosecutor Cliff Lutibezi told Esau that the minutes of the meeting with Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, Tamson Hatuikulipi and Ricardo Gustavo indicates that Esau knew Shanghala.
The document also indicates that they acted on behalf of fishing company Namgomar - which is also implicated in the Fishrot scandal.
Fishrot whistle-blower Jóhannes Stefánsson was also at the meeting, according to the document, representing Samherji.
Lutibezi supported his argument by pointing out that a visit to Iceland, where Samherji is based, was on the cards for those present, and that this visit would be carried out by Shanghala.
Esau stood by his previous testimony and denied Lutibezi's arguments.
Whistle-blower
During questioning, Lutibezi also relied on a statement by Stefánsson that labelled Esau as one of the conspirators in the Fishrot scandal. Esau said Stefánsson only speculated about his involvement.
"There was no plot. If there was a plot, I was not part of that plot. I cannot be a referee and a player at the same time. If I wanted to be a player, I would have already participated in 2010/2011/2012 for my own benefit," he testified.
The trial is expected to resume on 9 June before Judge David Munsu.
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These are the words of former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, who was testifying in his bail application in the Windhoek High Court last week.
He was responding to a document - minutes of a meeting between him, four of his Fishrot co-accused and Samherji representatives - which came to light.
Esau insisted that he is an innocent pawn in the Fishrot plot. He testified that his co-accused - including former justice minister Sacky Shanghala - misused his name to carry out their underhanded plans, and maintained that he was not aware of the alleged corruption.
"People who are in ministers' delegations... they do their things and the minister will not know what is happening," he testified.
Minutes
Public prosecutor Cliff Lutibezi told Esau that the minutes of the meeting with Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, Tamson Hatuikulipi and Ricardo Gustavo indicates that Esau knew Shanghala.
The document also indicates that they acted on behalf of fishing company Namgomar - which is also implicated in the Fishrot scandal.
Fishrot whistle-blower Jóhannes Stefánsson was also at the meeting, according to the document, representing Samherji.
Lutibezi supported his argument by pointing out that a visit to Iceland, where Samherji is based, was on the cards for those present, and that this visit would be carried out by Shanghala.
Esau stood by his previous testimony and denied Lutibezi's arguments.
Whistle-blower
During questioning, Lutibezi also relied on a statement by Stefánsson that labelled Esau as one of the conspirators in the Fishrot scandal. Esau said Stefánsson only speculated about his involvement.
"There was no plot. If there was a plot, I was not part of that plot. I cannot be a referee and a player at the same time. If I wanted to be a player, I would have already participated in 2010/2011/2012 for my own benefit," he testified.
The trial is expected to resume on 9 June before Judge David Munsu.
– [email protected]
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