‘Sickly’ Fishrot accused must carry their own cross – Kanyangela

JEMIMA BEUKES WINDHOEKIn a bold comeback yesterday, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lead investigator on the Fishrot case, Andreas Kanyangela, said the men accused in the multimillion-dollar scandal knew what they were doing and cannot cry foul now.Kanyangela, under cross-examination by South Africa lawyer Vas Soni, told the court he did not bother to investigate claims that accused James Hatuikulipi suffers from hereditary diabetes because he is not a medical practitioner.Soni wanted to know whether Kanyangela as a human never considered to look into these claims out of humanity for his fellow man.Kanyangela, who was on the ropes the previous day as he squared off with Soni in a gruelling cross-examination, yesterday said the 10 men have committed offences for a very long time and, as well-educated people, should have known what the implications of such corrupt crimes would be. “To say they must be granted bail because of sickness or not getting a balanced diet to supplement their medicine, those are the things they should have taken into account before they committed these offences. If they are having such problems, arrangements can be made to see what other balanced diet the State can provide to them or to adapt to the situation,” he said.DeliberateSoni further accused Kanyangela of deliberately deciding which claims to investigate and which not as well as deliberately deciding whom to question and whom not to question.He also emphasised that his client has expressed willingness to stand trial and has no intention to abscond.Kanyangela, however, said it is easy to make such statements, but he is convinced that Hatuikulipi is indeed a flight risk.“As an investigator, I said due to the seriousness of the matter and due to my experience, there is a likelihood for him to abscond. Although he still have [sic] businesses in Namibia, he can still abscond,” Kanyangela said.Soni pointed out that his client was outside Namibia when warrants of arrests were issued and when co-accused former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau was arrested, yet he returned to Namibia.Hatuikulipi also has assets in South Africa but has no intention to abscond and would not interfere with State witnesses, his lawyer told the court.However, Kanyangela highlighted that Hatuikulipi has in fact already interfered with witnesses while in custody and can continue to do so while out on bail.jemima@namibiansun.com

‘Sickly’ Fishrot accused must carry their own cross – Kanyangela

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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‘Sickly’ Fishrot accused must carry their own cross – Kanyangela

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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