Nghipunya leaves Swapo, ACC scratching their heads
ACC boss Paulus Noa continues to contradict his own investigator’s testimony that Swapo benefitted from the illicit fishing quota allocation.
JEMIMA BEUKES
WINDHOEK
Yesterday’s explosive testimony by former Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya that Swapo benefitted – to the tune of N$44 million –
from the Fishrot saga has thrown into doubt the version of both the ruling party and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) boss Paulus Noa, who both had previously denied this claim.
Fugitive lawyer Marén de Klerk has already admitted in his affidavits to having disbursed funds to Swapo politicians and President Hage Geingob's party campaigns ahead of the 2017 congress where he was elected party president.
Noa’s perpetual denial contradicts the version of his own senior investigator at ACC, Willem Olivier, who testified during the bail application of former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau and his son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi that investigations have shown that Fishrot money bankrolled a Swapo campaign.
According to Olivier, N$15 million and N$2.5 million were paid into local lawyer Sisa Namandje's trust account under the reference “governmental objectives”.
“This was flagged as suspicious. Part of this money was used for vehicles, personal loans and other items. And as far as investigations found, monies were used for the Swapo campaign,” he said.
Nghipunya, testifying for his own bail application yesterday, said Esau allocated an 18 000 metric tonne fishing quota for the party's benefit.
He further said Esau requested that the allocation be recorded as being for “government objectives” due to sensitivity.
Skirting around issue
When approached for comment yesterday on whether he still held the same view that the party did not benefit from the bribery scandal, Noa danced around the issue.
“Paid to who because it needs to be very clear, to whom was the money paid? Because when you talk about the Swapo Party, you are talking different structures of the party, I want you to be specific.”
He added: ”Just to make it clear to you, things like this, our position as we are speaking to you now is like this, that we have investigated and established, in the bank accounts of the party - the bank accounts of the party, get me very clear, the bank accounts of the party - we could not find money that has gone directly into the bank accounts of the party.”
Shaningwa sticks to guns
Meanwhile, Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa yesterday challenged Nghipunya to state exactly who in Swapo received the money.
“To whom did he give the money? You cannot ask me these types of things and I think the people who were investigating him were supposed to ask him necessary questions… Because now you were supposed to tell me kutya meme, in this account it’s where the money is, then you are talking. You cannot just start asking me things like that in the air.”
She added: “Comrade, I am saying, can you give me the account where that money is because I am the signatory to all Swapo Party accounts here at the Swapo headquarters. What you have to do is to help me and give me that account so that I can at least go to the finance department and query them now.”
Nghipunya explained that the governmental objectives which were started in 2013 were allocated through Fishcor as the government entity to run commercial fishing activities.
Swapo’s quota was classified as a third-party beneficiary allocation, which - according to Nghipunya - was not handled by Fishcor, and proceeds were paid directly to the party.
It is the first time that it has come to light that the ruling party was a beneficiary under the governmental objectives under which quotas were allocated for socio-economic activities to uplift Namibians.
Swapo’s quota was notably more than that of the poverty eradication ministry, which received a mere 10 000 metric tonnes to use for its programmes.
During this time, the veteran’s ministry received a paltry 2 000 metric tonnes of horse mackerel while the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust, which was established by Cabinet to make fish easily accessible to underprivileged Namibians, received 13 000 metric tonnes.
Not my business
According to Nghipunya, the proceeds of Swapo’s allocated quota was paid directly to the party and was used for the 2019 presidential campaign.
He emphasised that as CEO of Fishcor, he had no power to determine the third-party beneficiaries of governmental objectives.
According to him, both the third-party beneficiaries and Fishcor as beneficiary are determined by the fisheries minister – Esau, at the time.
“I just want to say, we are not responsible for how the beneficiaries utilise their proceeds. We received this allocation in 2018 and explained to auditors that it will be paid directly to the beneficiaries. We received instructions from [Esau] that we must implement it as such and for the sake of sensitivity, we must call it ‘governmental objectives’,” he told the court.
According to Nghipunya, Fishcor cannot account for proceeds from allocated quotas for third-party beneficiaries and whose quotas were monetised under usage agreements.
WINDHOEK
Yesterday’s explosive testimony by former Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya that Swapo benefitted – to the tune of N$44 million –
from the Fishrot saga has thrown into doubt the version of both the ruling party and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) boss Paulus Noa, who both had previously denied this claim.
Fugitive lawyer Marén de Klerk has already admitted in his affidavits to having disbursed funds to Swapo politicians and President Hage Geingob's party campaigns ahead of the 2017 congress where he was elected party president.
Noa’s perpetual denial contradicts the version of his own senior investigator at ACC, Willem Olivier, who testified during the bail application of former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau and his son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi that investigations have shown that Fishrot money bankrolled a Swapo campaign.
According to Olivier, N$15 million and N$2.5 million were paid into local lawyer Sisa Namandje's trust account under the reference “governmental objectives”.
“This was flagged as suspicious. Part of this money was used for vehicles, personal loans and other items. And as far as investigations found, monies were used for the Swapo campaign,” he said.
Nghipunya, testifying for his own bail application yesterday, said Esau allocated an 18 000 metric tonne fishing quota for the party's benefit.
He further said Esau requested that the allocation be recorded as being for “government objectives” due to sensitivity.
Skirting around issue
When approached for comment yesterday on whether he still held the same view that the party did not benefit from the bribery scandal, Noa danced around the issue.
“Paid to who because it needs to be very clear, to whom was the money paid? Because when you talk about the Swapo Party, you are talking different structures of the party, I want you to be specific.”
He added: ”Just to make it clear to you, things like this, our position as we are speaking to you now is like this, that we have investigated and established, in the bank accounts of the party - the bank accounts of the party, get me very clear, the bank accounts of the party - we could not find money that has gone directly into the bank accounts of the party.”
Shaningwa sticks to guns
Meanwhile, Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa yesterday challenged Nghipunya to state exactly who in Swapo received the money.
“To whom did he give the money? You cannot ask me these types of things and I think the people who were investigating him were supposed to ask him necessary questions… Because now you were supposed to tell me kutya meme, in this account it’s where the money is, then you are talking. You cannot just start asking me things like that in the air.”
She added: “Comrade, I am saying, can you give me the account where that money is because I am the signatory to all Swapo Party accounts here at the Swapo headquarters. What you have to do is to help me and give me that account so that I can at least go to the finance department and query them now.”
Nghipunya explained that the governmental objectives which were started in 2013 were allocated through Fishcor as the government entity to run commercial fishing activities.
Swapo’s quota was classified as a third-party beneficiary allocation, which - according to Nghipunya - was not handled by Fishcor, and proceeds were paid directly to the party.
It is the first time that it has come to light that the ruling party was a beneficiary under the governmental objectives under which quotas were allocated for socio-economic activities to uplift Namibians.
Swapo’s quota was notably more than that of the poverty eradication ministry, which received a mere 10 000 metric tonnes to use for its programmes.
During this time, the veteran’s ministry received a paltry 2 000 metric tonnes of horse mackerel while the Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust, which was established by Cabinet to make fish easily accessible to underprivileged Namibians, received 13 000 metric tonnes.
Not my business
According to Nghipunya, the proceeds of Swapo’s allocated quota was paid directly to the party and was used for the 2019 presidential campaign.
He emphasised that as CEO of Fishcor, he had no power to determine the third-party beneficiaries of governmental objectives.
According to him, both the third-party beneficiaries and Fishcor as beneficiary are determined by the fisheries minister – Esau, at the time.
“I just want to say, we are not responsible for how the beneficiaries utilise their proceeds. We received this allocation in 2018 and explained to auditors that it will be paid directly to the beneficiaries. We received instructions from [Esau] that we must implement it as such and for the sake of sensitivity, we must call it ‘governmental objectives’,” he told the court.
According to Nghipunya, Fishcor cannot account for proceeds from allocated quotas for third-party beneficiaries and whose quotas were monetised under usage agreements.
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