WINDHOEK - Swapo veteran and former deputy prime minister Dr Libertine Amathila yesterday expressed disappointment over the involvement of former cabinet ministers Bernhard Esau and Sacky Shanghala in the unfolding Fishrot saga. 

Amathila, who is the country’s first regional and local government and housing minister, told New Era that she was shocked by the Fishrot revelations. 

“It is a shocker, you young people have been telling us to leave the party and government but what we are hearing is shocking. 

These are highly respected young people that we trusted, we left the country and the party in their hands and this is what we are hearing,” Amathila said. 

“Some of us are old and we don’t have security (bodyguards) around us. I am terribly disappointed, I am not the judge, I am not going to judge them, let’s wait for the court to pronounce itself on the matter.”

Esau, former justice minister Shanghala and three of their co-accused reportedly received corrupt payments of at least N$103,6 million to allow Icelandic fishing company Samherji secure access to horse mackerel quotas in Namibia. 

According to media reports, Samherji’s CEO and biggest shareholder, Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, authorised the bribe payments. 

The other three accused are former managing director of Investec Asset Management Namibia, James Hatuikulipi, his cousin Tamson ‘Fitty’ Hatuikulipi, who is also the son-in-law of Esau and Ricardo Gustavo, a senior manager at Investec Asset Management Namibia, currently on suspension. Pius Mwatelulo is the sixth accused. The six are due to appear in court today for their urgent application, in which they are challenging the legality surrounding their arrests and continued detention.