Namibia anti-graft commission clears ruling Swapo party
An investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission found no evidence suggesting that Swapo benefited from the Fishrot corruption scandal.
RUSTENBURG, June 9 (ANA) – Namibia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has cleared the ruling Swapo party of benefiting from the multi-million-dollar so-called Fishrot corruption scandal, local media reported on Wednesday.
An investigation by the ACC found no evidence implicating Swapo and the commission urged the public to refrain from making blanket accusations, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) reported.
According to the broadcaster, ACC acting director-general Paulus Noa disclosed the findings at a national anti-corruption strategy and action plan consultative meeting.
The multi-million-dollar fisheries bribery scandal dragged in former cabinet ministers Bernhard Esau and Sacky Shanghala as well as former Investec Asset Management Namibia managing director James Hatuikulipi, suspended Investec Namibia clients director Ricardo Gustavo, Esau’s son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi and Pius Mwatelulo.
They were all accused of involvement in a scheme in which Icelandic fish processing company Samherji allegedly paid them about US$7 million over a six year period between 2012 and 2018 to get access to Namibian fishing quotas. Samherji has denied the allegation.
There were allegations that Swapo’s leadership election campaign was funded with Fishrot money, which was allegedly paid into a law firm’s trust account in 2015 and 2017.
In July 2020, The Namibian daily newspaper reported that Swapo denied directly receiving any money linked to the corruption scandal and would produce its audited financial statements to prove this.
Namibian President and Swapo leader Hage Geingob said the ruling party would go through a process of internal investigation to address constant allegations of corruption.
The Namibian paper quoted Geingob as saying no Swapo member or sympathiser would be allowed to solicit donations from any prospective donor, domestic or foreign, without authorisation from the party’s secretary general.
He also said no party member would be allowed to accept donations on behalf of Swapo without obtaining clearance from its secretary for finance.
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa