Eba Kandovazu
THE lawyers in a matter in which the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) is suing the Kora music awards organisers will face-off for the last time on 31 August this year before a judgment can be made in the Windhoek High Court.
Sarl Mundial Telecom, a company owned by Ernest Adjovi, is being sued for US$1.5 million (N$ 23.5 million) which the NTB paid in 2015 to host the music awards in Namibia.
The show was scheduled for March 2016, but it never too place.
NTB Chief Executive Officer Digu //Naobeb today said that the plaintiff submitted its Heads of argument last Friday and that the Defendants are supposed to file theirs on or before 6 August 2021.
//Naobeb said that NTB will then submit its reply before 20 August and the final oral submissions are to be made on 31 August 2021.
The NTB, represented by Advocate Thabang Phatela, in its Heads of argument said that the case concerns one of the most reaching abuses of a Namibian public entity by a foreign company in its quest to gain access to the public funds.
Adjovi, who was supposed to appear in court as a witness, was a no-show during trial, although his witness statement was read onto the record by his lawyer.
No witnesses were called in to testify in his favour.
“These are the individuals that the NTB CEO dealt with when the agreement was concluded and implemented particularly during the crucial stage from December 2015 to March 2016 stage. For some unexplained reason the Defendant opted at its own risk not to call any individuals who had first-hand knowledge of the agreement and its implementation as witnesses before the Court to controvert the Plaintiff’s version. There was also no explanation given as to their failure to call those witnesses,” the NTB argued in its submissions.
