Judge recuses himself from Fishrot civil case due to friendship with ACC director general
via The Namibian2 min read
A hearing for four individuals charged in the Fishrot fraud, corruption, and racketeering case was postponed in the Windhoek High Court after Judge Boas Usiku recused himself. Judge Usiku stated that his friendship with Paulus Noa, the Anti-Corruption Commission ACC director general and a respondent in the matter, could create a perception of bias. The application, filed by former attorney general and minister of justice Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, Otneel Shuudifonya, and Pius Mwatelulo, seeks to prevent the prosecutor general from continuing their criminal prosecution until a civil case they filed last November is decided. They are also requesting an interdict to permanently stop their prosecution based on evidence allegedly obtained through unconstitutional and unlawful investigations by the ACC. The applicants claim the ACC's investigations violated provisions of Namibia's Constitution, the Anti-Corruption Act, the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, and the International Cooperation in Criminal Matters Act. They are also asking the court to review and set aside numerous actions taken during the investigation and prohibit the use of certain evidence, including that obtained via search warrants and by the auditing firm Deloitte. Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa alleges that this application is part of a strategy to obstruct and delay the criminal trial. The application has been postponed to 9 July.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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