I will reveal big things next year - Esau
• Former minister bemoans ‘unfair’ bail hearing delays
While the former trade unionist-turned-politician, who also doubles as a farmer, says he does not fear for his life as he testifies, Esau feels the delays to his bail hearing have been unfair.
Jemima Beukes
WINDHOEK
Former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau says he will reveal “big things” when his bail hearing resumes next year and that he does not have any fear for his life as he plans to “truthfully tell [his] story”.
He wasted no time in whipping up anger against the judicial system for probing his role in the Fishrot scandal, saying he fears nothing in his pursuit to reveal the truth in order to sanitise his damaged reputation.
A tired-looking but combative Esau went back to his prison cell after Windhoek High Court judge David Munsu postponed his bail hearing to 27 February 2023, seeking to galvanise his energy ahead of next year’s court proceedings.
Speaking exclusively to Namibian Sun on the margins of the court proceedings, Esau expressed disappointment over the fact that his bail hearing has been pushed to the new year.
“Bail is an urgent matter, but here [I am] three years later. It is really unfair to be kept in prison. This is an unfair trial to be kept in prison when you have not been found guilty,” he bemoaned.
The former minister said he does not fear for his life after claiming that he was used by senior governmental officials and unknowingly dragged into the bribery scandal. He said he cannot be afraid when the “facts speak for themselves”.
He went on to say: “Big things will come out next year”.
Pointing fingers
Since the start of his second bail application, Esau dropped several bombshells - including pointing fingers at ministerial officials and their role when it comes to allocating fishing quotas and how the former justice minister [Sacky Shanghala] allegedly suggested that he, as fisheries minister, appoint James Hatuikulipi to the Fishcor board.
During yesterday’s hearing, the former trade unionist stressed that he did not allocate fishing quotas and no disclosures were made to him about allocations.
Fishcor is at the heart of the bribery scandal, which has landed Esau, Tamson Hatuikulipi, Shanghala, ex-Fishcor board chairperson James Hatuikulipi, axed Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya and former Investec business manager Ricardo Gustavo behind bars.
With regards the quota allocations, Esau said he was only served with internal memos which contained the details of the quotas to be approved or rejected.
He also said he did not see - neither was he copied into - a single letter, including acceptance letters of the allocation of fishing quotas to various beneficiaries.
“When I started to peruse these various letters of allocation for the fishing seasons, I picked up that something serious happened without my knowledge. In terms of using my name to say I have approved quotas without disclosing these internal memos or approval evidence.
“If I have approved, I want to see [it]. I am not saying I am distancing myself, what I am saying is that I want to see that evidence of approval,” Esau said.
‘See what you can do’
He, however, recalled being approached by the president in 2016 after a cabinet meeting, asking him to “see what they could do” to assist flood-stricken countries in the southern Africa region, including Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
“I was asked by our president to look into possible quota allocations for these calamities, especially the SADC ones and Sierra Leone where there was a mudslide. Even the minister of foreign affairs was involved, talking to me to say ‘Esau, can we look at what we can do’.
“I communicated through the permanent secretary and if the permanent secretary was not there, I would work through the director and they would do their job and see what was there in reserve,” he said.
[email protected]
WINDHOEK
Former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau says he will reveal “big things” when his bail hearing resumes next year and that he does not have any fear for his life as he plans to “truthfully tell [his] story”.
He wasted no time in whipping up anger against the judicial system for probing his role in the Fishrot scandal, saying he fears nothing in his pursuit to reveal the truth in order to sanitise his damaged reputation.
A tired-looking but combative Esau went back to his prison cell after Windhoek High Court judge David Munsu postponed his bail hearing to 27 February 2023, seeking to galvanise his energy ahead of next year’s court proceedings.
Speaking exclusively to Namibian Sun on the margins of the court proceedings, Esau expressed disappointment over the fact that his bail hearing has been pushed to the new year.
“Bail is an urgent matter, but here [I am] three years later. It is really unfair to be kept in prison. This is an unfair trial to be kept in prison when you have not been found guilty,” he bemoaned.
The former minister said he does not fear for his life after claiming that he was used by senior governmental officials and unknowingly dragged into the bribery scandal. He said he cannot be afraid when the “facts speak for themselves”.
He went on to say: “Big things will come out next year”.
Pointing fingers
Since the start of his second bail application, Esau dropped several bombshells - including pointing fingers at ministerial officials and their role when it comes to allocating fishing quotas and how the former justice minister [Sacky Shanghala] allegedly suggested that he, as fisheries minister, appoint James Hatuikulipi to the Fishcor board.
During yesterday’s hearing, the former trade unionist stressed that he did not allocate fishing quotas and no disclosures were made to him about allocations.
Fishcor is at the heart of the bribery scandal, which has landed Esau, Tamson Hatuikulipi, Shanghala, ex-Fishcor board chairperson James Hatuikulipi, axed Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya and former Investec business manager Ricardo Gustavo behind bars.
With regards the quota allocations, Esau said he was only served with internal memos which contained the details of the quotas to be approved or rejected.
He also said he did not see - neither was he copied into - a single letter, including acceptance letters of the allocation of fishing quotas to various beneficiaries.
“When I started to peruse these various letters of allocation for the fishing seasons, I picked up that something serious happened without my knowledge. In terms of using my name to say I have approved quotas without disclosing these internal memos or approval evidence.
“If I have approved, I want to see [it]. I am not saying I am distancing myself, what I am saying is that I want to see that evidence of approval,” Esau said.
‘See what you can do’
He, however, recalled being approached by the president in 2016 after a cabinet meeting, asking him to “see what they could do” to assist flood-stricken countries in the southern Africa region, including Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
“I was asked by our president to look into possible quota allocations for these calamities, especially the SADC ones and Sierra Leone where there was a mudslide. Even the minister of foreign affairs was involved, talking to me to say ‘Esau, can we look at what we can do’.
“I communicated through the permanent secretary and if the permanent secretary was not there, I would work through the director and they would do their job and see what was there in reserve,” he said.
[email protected]
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