The long-running trial of prominent Windhoek lawyer Dirk Conradie and his friend Sara Damases returned to the Windhoek High Court on Thursday before Judge Thomas Masuku – only to be postponed again.
This time, however, it is not the fault of any of the parties. The postponement is necessitated by the Judge taking his long leave for three months. Judges are allowed to take a three-month break every three years.
During yesterday’s proceedings, the State also gave notice that they will apply for the recordings made by Mark Bongers and Kim Fields – the owners of advertising company DV8 Saatchi and Saatchi – during a meeting they had with Conradie and Damases.
The recordings had been admitted only provisionally.
The trial has seen several postponements due to applications by Conradie to have some of the charges quashed and to have the recordings declared inadmissible as evidence.
Conradie succeeded in having one of his charges – that he had to declare his interest when the tender was discussed in Portugal – removed from the charge sheet.
Conradie and Damases face three counts of contravening the Anti-Corruption Act for allegedly attempting to bribe Bongers and his wife and business partner Fields with the massive advertising contract from MTC if they took Damases on board as a black economic empowerment (BEE) partner.
Bongers made a recording of a meeting he and Fields had with Conradie and Damases in the office of Conradie on 12 June 2012 and subsequently reported the alleged bribe to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
In the recordings, Conradie can be heard asking Bongers and Fields whether they had a BEE partner, and when Bongers answered in the negative, Conradie said he could provide them with one.
Conradie can further be heard saying the company of Bongers and Fields – DV8 Saatchi and Saatchi – is not the favourite to win the MTC advertising contract, worth an estimated N$60 million at the time, but that he could change it in their favour.
The meeting took place after Damases approached Bongers at his office with a “message from the MTC chairman”.
According to Fields, she and Bongers agreed to the meeting only out of curiosity and because Damases introduced herself as the wife of Judge President Petrus Damaseb and as an independent consultant for MTC.
Conradie allegedly told Bongers during the meeting he would use his position as chair of the MTC board to ensure the advertising agency, owned by Bongers and Fields, gets the telecommunication giant’s N$60 million advertising tender in turn for them taking Damases on board as a BEE equity in their company.
They were arrested in June 2012 after Bongers and Fields availed a tape recording of Conradie, allegedly soliciting a bribe from them, to the ACC.
Conradie is represented by South African senior advocate Vas Soni, instructed by advocate Slysken Makando.
Vetu Uanivi is on record for Damases.
State advocate Ed Marondedze is prosecuting.
The matter is postponed to 4 August at 10h00, and Conradie and Damases are free on bail.
– rrouth@nepc.com.na