Zorena Jantze
AFTER more than two years of being incarcerated due to his implications in the fishing sector corruption case, known as the Fishrot scandal, Phillipus Mwapopi still finds himself in the employment of the Windhoek City Police.
This was revealed by his defence lawyer, Milton Engelbrecht, who brushed away claims by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigator Andreas Kanyangela that Mwapopi, who faces charges of corruption and fraud, would abscond as nothing ties him to the country because he is unemployed.
Mwapopi, alongside former minister of fisheries Bernard Esau, former minister of justice Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, Ricardo Gustavo, Pius Mwatelulo and Otneel Shuudifonya are charged with counts of racketeering, fraud, money laundering and other crimes in connection to alleged fishing quota allocations and bribery, with Icelandic fishing company Samherji at the heart of the scandal.
Engelbrecht, in the defense of Mwapopi, brushed away claims that his client is unemployed, stating that his client is merely suspended from the Windhoek City Police and not fired.
He said Mwapopi received a suspension notice on 20 January 2020, and added that during this period of suspension, he would not receive a salary or any other benefits.
Engelbrecht further noted that Mwapopi was instructed to give in his ministerial assets, appointment certificate and uniform pieces.
In addition, he was instructed not to exercise any powers given to him as a police officer but must adhere to regulations of the city police.
He added that Mwapopi is a Namibian citizen, has family ties in Namibia, one of his children attends school, and his client pays for the school fees.
The defense attorney, who also represents Mike Nghipunya and Otneel Shuudifonya, further raised concern on the sheer amount of time it would take the Fishrot trial to conclude and added that the State expects to call 338 witnesses to the stand. Based on this, the trial is likely to last three to five years, he said.
“Would you expect my clients to stay in custody until this case is finalized?” Engelbrecht asked.
