Several figures close to Namibian President Hage Geingob have been filmed discussing the laundering of political contributions. In Anatomy of a Bribe, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit exposes corruption in Namibia's fishing industry, implicating the country's now former minister of fisheries and marine resources, Bernhard Esau, as well as Geingob's personal lawyer, Sisa Namandje.
Posing as Chinese investors, Al Jazeera journalists attempted to enter the Namibian fishing industry to acquire highly lucrative fishing quotas for a proposed joint-venture with Namibian fishing company Omualu.
During the investigation, Esau requested a donation of $200,000 from the Chinese "investors" for the ruling SWAPO party, ahead of the country's general election that took place on Wednesday. Filmed with hidden cameras, Esau can also be seen accepting an iPhone from Al Jazeera's reporters. Under the instructions of Omualu's managing director Sacky Kadhila-Amoomo, the donation was to be laundered to the SWAPO party, under the guise of a foreign investment in a real-estate. The donation was to be channelled through the trust account of Sisa Namandje, who has been the personal lawyer of all Namibian presidents since the country's independence in 1990. He is also the returning officer of the ruling SWAPO party for internal elections.
As Al Jazeera's undercover reporters negotiated a partnership with Omualu, they were asked to make a $500,000 payment and give a 20 percent share of the joint-venture to Mike Nghipunya, CEO of the state-run fishing company Fishcor. Fishcor would in return provide preferential access to its fishing quotas, which are allocated by the minister of fisheries. As a public official, it would be illegal for Nghipunya to use his official position for personal gain.
For some general background information on fishing corruption see:
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