Police in Windhoek arrested two of the alleged kingpins on the N$150m fishing quotas scandal on Saturday in Windhoek.
Those arrested are the former fisheries minister Bernhard Esau and the suspended Investec Asset Management manager Ricardo Gustavo.
Still to be arrested is the former justice minister Sacky Shanghala, former Investec managing director and Fishcor board chairperson James Hatuikulipi, his son Tamson ‘Fitty’ and Fishcor chief executive officer Mike Nghipunya.
Esau was appointed the fisheries minister in 2010 until his resignation on 13 November 2019.
The Anti-Corruption Commission director-general Paulus Noa told Eagle FM Saturday that they had issued warrants of arrest for the arrest of the five alleged kingpins in the scandal that has rocked Namibia and Iceland.
The allegations are that Esau signed a deal with Angola’s former fisheries minister Victória de Barros Neto on 24 June 2014 to allow Namibia to donate fish. According to media reports, Gustavo registered the company, Namgomar Pesca Namibia.
Gustavo is the sole director of Namgomar Pesca Namibia. The deal was signed at Tundavala in Angola.
According to Wikileaks, Esau, the Hatuikulipis, Shanghala and De Barros’son Joao de Barros visited Iceland in 2013 and that James registered before the signing of the 2014 deal.
On 24 May 2014, James registered a company called Tundavala Invest in Dubai. Tundavala Invest was one of the companies used to launder bribe money.
Esau allocated Namgomar of about 7 000 metric tonnes on 17 July 2014 and then in August 2014, Esau, James and Tamson Hatuikulipi and Shanghala visited Iceland again.
The first payment of N$5m was paid into Tundavala Invest from Namgomar quota on 31 October 2014. The second payment of N$6,6m was done in 2015 followed by a N$3,8m made on 31 March 2015.
