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Conradie corruption trial stalls

2021-03-09  Roland Routh

Conradie corruption trial stalls

The trial of prominent Windhoek lawyer Dirk Conradie and his long-time friend Sara Damases was for the umpteenth time postponed yesterday.

This time to 18 March because of the unavailability of Windhoek High Court Judge Thomas Masuku.

High Court Judge Naomi Shivute postponed the matter on behalf of Judge Masuku for a status hearing.

The trial has seen several postponements due to applications by Conradie to have some of the charges squashed and to have recordings made by Mark Bongers and Kim Fields – the owners of an advertising company DV8 Saatchi and Saatchi - during a meeting they had with Conradie and Damases declared inadmissible as evidence.

The allegations were made at the time when Conradie was the MTC board chairperson. 

Conradie only succeeded in having one of his charges – that he had to declare his interest when the MTC advertising tender was discussed in Portugal - removed from the charge sheet.

In the meeting with Bongers and Fields, they were allegedly promised the advertising contract of MTC which was worth around N$60 million at that stage.

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 have a BEE partner and when Bongers answered in the negative, Conradie said that he can provide them with one.

Conradie can further be heard saying that 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 he could change it in their favour. 

The meeting apparently took place after Damases approached Bongers at his office with a “message from the MTC chairman”. 

According to Fields, she and Bongers only agreed to the meeting 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 that he will use his position as chair of the MTC board to ensure that 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 gave 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 Slysken Makando and Vetu Uanivi is on record for Damases.

Deputy prosecutor Ed Marondedze assisted by Salomon Kanyemba are prosecuting.

Conradie and Damases are free on bail.

- rrouth@nepc.com.na 


2021-03-09  Roland Routh

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