Hatuikulipi cleared in bribery case
Co-accused found guilty
The former investment banker has been found innocent after being accused of attempting to bribe an ACC officer with N$250 000.
Fishrot accused James Hatuikulipi has been acquitted in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on charges of bribery and attempting to obstruct justice.
It was argued that Hatuikulipi and his co-accused, Sakaria Kokule, attempted to bribe an official of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia (ACC) with N$250 000 in January 2020 in order to allegedly obtain evidence that the ACC had seized.
While Hatuikulipi was found innocent, Kokule, a former police reservist, was not as fortunate.
Magistrate Kandiwapa Nembia found him guilty on both charges.
Hatuikulipi and Kokule were initially charged alongside a third accused, Jason Iyambo, who pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to a charge of attempting to obstruct justice. He was subsequently sentenced to nine months in prison.
The evidence that Hatuikulipi and Kokule allegedly sought to obtain from the ACC was related to the ACC's investigation into the acquisition of fishing quotas and what is now known as the Fishrot corruption scandal. The evidence in question allegedly included two bank cards in Hatuikulipi's name, two bank cards belonging to Fishrot co-accused Pius Mwatelulo and a written document titled 'Total Allocation'.
The ACC official who was approached in the bribery attempt was Junias Iipinge.
Trial
The State called two witnesses during the trial, and neither Hatuikulipi nor Kokule took the witness stand to testify in their own defence.
Iipinge was one of the witnesses and claimed that Kokule had called him. He allegedly explained that Iyambo had visited Hatuikulipi in prison, and Hatuikulipi had reportedly asked him to see if there was any way to retrieve the bank cards.
After that, Iyambo allegedly called Kokule, who then called Iipinge. Iyambo was not one of the State's witnesses, and Hatuikulipi's legal representative argued that without Iyambo's testimony, there was insufficient evidence against Hatuikulipi to find him guilty.
He contended that the state's case against Hatuikulipi consisted only of hearsay evidence. Kokule is scheduled to appear again in the magistrate's court on 29 October for sentencing proceedings.
It was argued that Hatuikulipi and his co-accused, Sakaria Kokule, attempted to bribe an official of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia (ACC) with N$250 000 in January 2020 in order to allegedly obtain evidence that the ACC had seized.
While Hatuikulipi was found innocent, Kokule, a former police reservist, was not as fortunate.
Magistrate Kandiwapa Nembia found him guilty on both charges.
Hatuikulipi and Kokule were initially charged alongside a third accused, Jason Iyambo, who pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to a charge of attempting to obstruct justice. He was subsequently sentenced to nine months in prison.
The evidence that Hatuikulipi and Kokule allegedly sought to obtain from the ACC was related to the ACC's investigation into the acquisition of fishing quotas and what is now known as the Fishrot corruption scandal. The evidence in question allegedly included two bank cards in Hatuikulipi's name, two bank cards belonging to Fishrot co-accused Pius Mwatelulo and a written document titled 'Total Allocation'.
The ACC official who was approached in the bribery attempt was Junias Iipinge.
Trial
The State called two witnesses during the trial, and neither Hatuikulipi nor Kokule took the witness stand to testify in their own defence.
Iipinge was one of the witnesses and claimed that Kokule had called him. He allegedly explained that Iyambo had visited Hatuikulipi in prison, and Hatuikulipi had reportedly asked him to see if there was any way to retrieve the bank cards.
After that, Iyambo allegedly called Kokule, who then called Iipinge. Iyambo was not one of the State's witnesses, and Hatuikulipi's legal representative argued that without Iyambo's testimony, there was insufficient evidence against Hatuikulipi to find him guilty.
He contended that the state's case against Hatuikulipi consisted only of hearsay evidence. Kokule is scheduled to appear again in the magistrate's court on 29 October for sentencing proceedings.
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