19 January 2021 | Crime
DODGY OBJECTIVES: Former fisheries minister Bernard Esau (centre) and former Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya (left) are currently in jail awaiting trial. PHOTO: NAMPA
STAFF REPORTER
WINDHOEK
Stier Vente Associates, external auditors for beleaguered state fishing company Fishcor, only reported the suspicious Fishrot-related transactions to the Public Accountants’ and Auditors’ Board (PAAB) on 21 February 2020, long after the scandal had been reported in local and international media.
Namibian Sun understands that Stier Vente Associates, in its submission to PAAB - a statutory board regulating the accountancy profession in Namibia – claimed it had been misled by former fisheries minister Bernard Esau, who said the money was taken out of the company to fund ‘government objectives’.