Fishrot son-in-law

Fitty Hatuikulipi (39) bought at least 15 properties in Namibia for N$40 million from 2014 to 2019 after marrying Esau’s daughter Ndapandula in 2011.

THE SON-IN-LAW

Fitty Hatuikulipi (39) bought at least 15 properties in Namibia for N$40 million from 2014 to 2019 after marrying Esau’s daughter Ndapandula in 2011.

The couple’s 2011 antenuptial contract shows they are married out of community of property.

In a document seen by The Namibian, Fitty declared in 2011 that he owned two properties: One in Cimbebasia in Windhoek valued at around N$1,5 million and another at Walvis Bay valued at N$650 000.

The rest of his assets were vehicles: A N$800 000 Mercedes C63 AMG, a 2011 model Golf 6 GTI worth N$360 000, and a 2005 Toyota Hilux valued at N$160 000.

In November 2011, Fitty met Jóhannes Stefánsson, then a Samherji executive who subsequently turned whistleblower, at the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek.

According to Stefánsson, Fitty showed him a photograph of himself with the minister’s daughter on his iPad to indicate he was someone worth doing business with.

This encounter, Stefánsson said, led to more meetings and deals with Samherji’s bosses.

Stefánsson said he paid Fitty around N$700 000 for securing a meeting between his father-in-law and Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, Samherji’s chief executive officer at the time, in 2012.

As Samherji’s payments to Fitty for ‘fixing’ services increased in 2014, he became something of a property investor.

PROPERTY BOOM

Fitty Hatuikulipi’s affidavit provided in court during his bail hearing last week shows his wealth grew to include 22 properties valued at N$36,8 million.

This includes seven properties in Windhoek, six at Ongwediva, three at Swakopmund, two at Gobabis, one at Langstrand near Walvis Bay, two at Ondangwa and one at Eenhana.

The rest of his assets are vehicles with an overall value of N$12 million: Two Mercedes-Benzes, two Range Rovers, five Toyota pick-ups, one Amarok pick-up, and a Toyota Corolla.

Deed documents show Fitty’s properties include eight plots in the Oshana region (six at Ongwediva and two at Ondangwa) bought between 2014 and 2018, with a total value amounting to N$9,3 million.

He also branched out into more expensive properties in Windhoek and at the coast.

Deed documents show he bought erf 509 in Hochland Park for N$2 million in 2019 and erf 1326 for N$1,1 million in 2020.

Last year, he paid N$2,3 million for a plot at Eenhana and, in 2018, bought erf 1475 at Epako, Gobabis, for N$100 000.

MATRIMONY

Although they are married out of community of property, Fitty and his wife co-own a number of properties in Windhoek and Swakopmund.

In 2015, the couple bought erf 865 in Windhoek’s Kleine Kuppe suburb for N$1 million through their company AL Investments No 5. The 720 square metre property is under a N$4,5 million bond.

Since 2017, Fitty and Ndapandula have spent more than N$3 million on acquiring erven at Swakopmund. This includes erf 2788 – bought for N$1,3 million in August 2017. It is divided into 12 sections and makes up the Swakopmund Lofts. James Hatuikulipi owns unit 4 and 12 in that complex.

Other coastal properties include erf 6111, bought for N$575 000, and erven 6112 and 6113, bought for N$573 000. These properties measure around 700 square meters each and were bought in June 2019.

The couple also owns Zebra Travel and Tours, a company with four buses estimated to be worth millions of Namibian dollars.

Ndapandula did not respond to questions The Namibian sent to her in June this year.

Two of Fitty’s close corporations – JTH Trading CC and Erongo Clearing and Forwarding CC – received close to N$70 million from Icelandic fishing group Samherji between 3 May 2014 and 6 June 2019.

The payments were made by Saga Seafood Pty Ltd and Mermaria Seafood Pty Ltd, subsidiaries of Samherji, which bribed top officials for quotas.

An investigation by The Namibian found that N$27 million was paid by Mermaria Seafood Pty Ltd to JTH Trading CC in a little more than three years – from 3 May 2014 to 28 August 2017.

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