Ester Mbathera
Former Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Derek Klazen and his former personal assistant, Leevy Lee Abrahams, have denied allegations of corruption in the system for allocating fishing quotas.
The accusations were made on social media by August Maletzky, director of the African Labour & Human Rights Centre, who claimed Abrahams demanded payments from fishing rights holders in exchange for access to marine resources.
Klazen confirmed he was aware of the allegations.
“I am also aware of the same allegations against myself and many staff members of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, not only recently, but these allegations have been part of our daily lives,” he said.
He stated that Abrahams was never involved in quota-related matters.
“It is odd that Abrahams is being accused of manipulating fishing quota allocations when he was nowhere near this process. I had an arrangement with Abrahams that he would not be involved in the handling or attend meetings where fishing quota allocations or decisions were the subject of discussions,” Klazen said.
He explained that the quota allocation process is guided by recommendations from ministry scientists and approved by the Cabinet.
The Directorate of Policy Planning and Economics assesses factors such as job creation and investment in vessels or factories and recommends allocations.
The minister then approves these, and the executive director informs companies of their quotas.
“This is a whole system that runs or is informed by many people, including the industry, to the extent that if one company was to receive more than a deserving company, the people in the ministry will pick it up and enquire why that is done that way and what the motivations are,” Klazen said.
He said no formal complaints or investigations have been launched during his time as minister.
“There was no evidence for the need for such an investigation, nor was there ever a formal request or complaint made against the conduct of Mr Abrahams or any other staff member,” he said.
Abrahams also rejected the allegations.
“Responding to these claims is providing dignity to baseless accusations that lack truth in a tactical and practical sense. I would, however, say that our justice system places the burden of proof on the person making the allegations. Proof and the provision of basic answers to questions such as who gave the money, how was the money given, and where is it missing,” Abrahams said.
He questioned why Maletzky had chosen to post the claims on social media rather than reporting them to the authorities.
Abrahams confirmed that he had agreed with Klazen not to be involved in quota processes.
“Conditional to accepting to work with honourable Klazen as minister of fisheries was the unshaken promise that I will offer no counsel or support regarding fishing quotas or who gets what amount, nor attend meetings, nor facilitate or draft any letter or document, nor be involved in any process whatsoever dealing with fishing quota,” he said.
He added that no individual or fishing company has reported him to the police or the Anti-Corruption Commission.
“There will be no one to report me to anyone, let alone law enforcement or the ACC, because out of zero comes nothing, as no laws were broken or transgressed,” Abrahams said.
He also denied holding or benefiting from any fishing rights.
“I am not a right holder in any fishing companies. I do not have relatives who are fishing rights holders and hence I cannot and have not benefitted a dollar, let alone money running into millions,” he said.
Maletzky accused Klazen and Abrahams of demanding money from rights holders and manipulating the system for personal gain.
“Abrahams, in particular, is accused of continuing to demand millions from fishing rights holders, ensuring that only those who comply with his illicit demands benefit from the country’s marine resources,” Maletzky said.
He also alleges that some companies still benefiting from quotas were previously linked to the Fishrot scandal.
“Shockingly, even after the Fishrot One scandal, some of the same corrupt entities still receive quotas, leaving hard-working Namibians struggling to sustain their businesses,” he said.
Maletzky called on President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to investigate the fishing quota allocation system and allegations of extortion.
“We, therefore, call upon President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to: 1. Launch an immediate and thorough investigation into these corruption claims. 2. Instruct Prime Minister Eliah Ngurare to ensure justice is served without fear or favour. 3. Review and reform the fishing quota allocation process to guarantee fairness, transparency, and accountability,” he said.
Maletzky said he has enough evidence but refused to report it to any authority.
“We don’t believe in the Anti-Corruption Commission because reporting anything to the Anti-Corruption Commission is like reporting the devil to hell,” he said.
He called for a judicial inquiry into what he described as long-standing corruption in the fisheries sector.
