Fishrot accused seeks trial continuation despite ongoing appeals
via The Namibian3 min read
Defense lawyer Ileni Gebhardt, representing Ricardo Gustavo in the Fishrot fraud, corruption, and racketeering trial, argued in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility that the trial should proceed despite ongoing appeals against rulings. Gebhardt stated that criminal trials must reach finality and that applications for leave to appeal against rulings by acting judge Marilize du Plessis should not automatically halt the trial of the 10 men accused of fraudulent acquisition and use of Namibian fish quotas valued at over N$150 million. Lawyers for former minister of fisheries and marine resources Bernhard Esau and Tamson Hatuikulipi supported Gebhardt's request, while another defense lawyer, Joas Neemwatya, did not. The trial has been halted since Du Plessis refused to postpone the case in January, leading to applications for her recusal and subsequent appeals to the Supreme Court. Gebhardt contended that serial applications to halt the trial constitute an abuse of the court process and that the Constitution guarantees a fair trial within a reasonable period. She argued that other accused individuals are being held hostage by the litigation choices of Sacky Shanghala and James Hatuikulipi, noting that no prosecution witness evidence has been presented since the case was enrolled in 2021. Gebhardt suggested that the delays are part of a deliberate strategy and that an eventual order for Du Plessis's recusal is a speculative possibility. Du Plessis is scheduled to hear f
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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