Van Wyk granted bail, while Esau remains incarcerated

Hertta-Maria Amutenja

Nigel Van Wyk, one of the individuals accused in the infamous Fishrot corruption scandal, was granted bail for N$20,000 at the Windhoek High Court yesterday.

The decision to free him on bail was delivered by Judge David Munsu. In contrast, former fisheries minister, Bernhard Esau had his plea for release dismissed by the same judge.

Esau and Van Wyk, who were arrested in 2019 and 2020, respectively, have remained in custody since their apprehension in connection with the saga of fishing quotas fraud, corruption, and racketeering cases.

During his bail application, Esau consistently maintained that he was not directly involved in the allocation of quotas or fishing rights. Instead, he claimed to rely on his senior staff for administrative tasks, signing off on decisions made by others.

Esau stressed his role as an administrator rather than a decision-maker and argued that his name was used and abused by his co-accused.

Similarly, during the bail proceedings, Van Wyk asserted that he was merely an employee following orders from former Minister of Justice Sakeus Shanghala and his associate James Hatuikulipi.

He denied any involvement in the Fishrot scheme, stating that he merely executed the instructions given to him.

Last week, both Esau and Van Wyk refused to enter pleas on some charges during the trial, prompting the judge to enter a not-guilty plea on their behalf.

The charges against Esau include racketeering, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and corruptly using his office for gratification.

Esau and Van Wyk had sought bail, and their hearing stretched over several days, involving extensive arguments from defence lawyers and the prosecution.

The Fishrot case alleges a scheme by ten individuals to unlawfully obtain access to Namibian fishing quotas, resulting in industry losses exceeding N$300 million.