Will Namibian Minister of Fisheries Charge a Turkish Diplomat With N$ 268 million Fraud Attempting to Sell State Assets or Accept Buyout of Sealing Industry?
Seal Alert asks the media for help in getting official comment.
Either its fraud attempting to sell state assets worth N$268 million or the Minister has accepted the sale of state assets, which is it? Seal Alert cannot get an answer from Namibian government.
Is the Namibian Sealing Buyout offer an act of fraud on the part of Hatem Yavuz, a turkish diplomat to Namibia, who gave, “The Yavuz Group incurred the wrath of animal rights movements by donating a fur jacket made from Namibian seal furs to the Minister of Trade and Industry Hage Geingob, during the minister’s visit to Turkey earlier this year” or does it have the support of the Namibian Minister of Fisheries, and what is the Minister terms in regard to the Act?
On 26 June 2009, Hatem Yavuz, king of seal killing and the holder of a right and contract with the Namibian government to kill a million seals until 2019 made the following offer in writing, “The positive alternative to stop the (seal) harvest is to buy all us out. We would be inclined to sell off the Namibian plants and full quota’s, plus the Turkish plant processing seals only. To retire on this ongoing project we would agree on a total value for all three (including our own personal declaration) to retrieve from this business of a value standing at $14,2 million US dollars. I would like you to head or lead your end of the deal (contract) and as for myself would lead and head the contract in full. Your discretion would be appreciated”.
In the same letter Hatem said, “Yet we will only sell, ….we cannot afford to give away one of our most precious materials used in the fashion industry … since we just cannot let go of some ninety five workers in Namibia alone.”
Almost two years later, on 23 March 2011, Hatem Yavuz, in a written email, now demands $27,3 million euros as per the above. Confirming this buyout price later in a recorded telephone conservation in which a 30 percent deposit was requested to stop harvesting seals and to handover full seal quota.
The Namibian Economist reported on 25 March 2011, “Yavuz dismissed these claims saying that he never set a buy out price and instead confirmed that his business is worth 27 million Euro (N$268 million), because of the percentage of the market he holds globally”, yet contradicted what he said this in an email, “hatemyavuz@superonline.com<hatemyavuz@superonline.co Re: seals would be killed 1.7.2011, It was 14.5….now it’s 27.3 euros.with the scale of investment. Hatem YAVUZYAVUZ Group. Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:07:38 +0800 (HKT)”.
On 3 July 2009, the Namibian Economist reported, Govt Mum on Deal, “The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources remained mum this week on allegations by Seal Alert SA that the controversial seal culling season had been postponed after the one-man South African animal rights group agreed to buy out the industry “stock and barrel”. The season was supposed to kick off this week Wednesday. Nevertheless, the Namibian government said it was not aware of the postponement. “I don’t know about the postponement. As far as I know it was supposed to begin today (Wednesday) and it will continue,” said Moses Maurihungirire, director of marine resources in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. The office of the ministry’s permanent secretary, Frans Tsheehama, referred the Economist to Albert Mbanga, its liaison officer, who rudely indicated that he would not respond to whether the seal culling season had started or not.” (http://www.economist.com.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18044:govt-mum-on-seal-alert-buyout-claims&catid=542:headlines ).
Two weeks later, on 17 July 2009, the same Namibian Economist reported, No Seal Buyout, and reported now that Hatem Yavuz had said Seal Alert approached him with an offer, “Hatem Yavuz, owner of the Yavuz Group of Companies, has turned down the US$14 million offered by Seal Alert South Africa to end seal culling in Namibia. Yavuz told the Economist from Turkey that this was not the first time he had received such an offer and was currently in talks with Chinese businessmen interested in buying his business. He said he would only sell if he found the offer feasible and profitable. Yavuz also questioned the fact that Seal-Alert SA only made the offer seven days before the beginning of the seal culling season.” (http://www.economist.com.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18620%3Ano-seal-buyout&catid=542%3Aheadlines&Itemid=62 ).
Seal Alert made no such offer (see Hatem Yavuz’s offer).
On 22 July 2009, Humane Society International reported, “in absence of agreement from the Namibian government, no such deal could ever work, and the Namibian government has not indicated it would be in support of such a plan. As Mr. Hatem noted to The Times (part of the Times Group of South Africa), “You cannot buy the quota, because that’s owned by the state, and therefore buying me out is not going to stop seal harvesting.” (http://www.hsicanada.ca/wildlife/seals/namibian_buyout.html).
Seal Alert made no offer to buyout the industry, it only received an offer from Hatem Yavuz to buy the factories and full quota, in an offer he suggested to retire the industry.
If Hatem Yavuz cannot sell the seal quota, then why is he selling the seal quota, and has stated in writing the buyout will stop the harvest? What is he then selling?
On 8 October 2009, state owned newspaper Newera reported, Nothing Will Stop the Harvest, “A Turkish entrepreneur who processes and sells Namibian seal fur products abroad, on Monday paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo. The entrepreneur, Hatem Yavuz, director of the Yavuz Group, after the meeting said discussions with the minister touched on the future of the seal industry and recent media reports on the issue”. (http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?title=Nothing_will_stop_seal_harvests_-_businessman&articleid=29649 ).
Since, there has been a new Minister of Fisheries, can Hatem Yavuz therefore continue to offer for sale for millions of dollars and now million of euros, a Namibian state asset that he does not own? Surely this is fraud on the part of the turkish diplomat doing business with Namibia?
For the past two years, Seal Alert-SA has been unable to get an official answer from the Namibian government on its position in regard to a possible buyout of the Namibian sealing industry with a view to shutting it down. Govt mum on the deal does not help, nor does it help when Hatem contradicts himself saying “You cannot buy the quota, that’s owned by the state”, as his written offer clearly states, “sell off … and full quota’s”. (see copy of written signed offer).
The Marine Resources Act of 2000, clearly states, 42 (1), “No right or exploratory right may be transferred to another person except with the approval of, and subject to the conditions determined by, the Minister, but such approval may only be granted if the quota, if any, or a portion thereof, connected with the right or exploratory right is also transferred to the same person”. (http://www.lexadin.nl/wlg/legis/nofr/oeur/arch/nam/MarineAct2000.pdf ).
Could the international media assist Seal Alert-SA in obtaining official comment from the Minister of Fisheries, in doing so, could the media ascertain further whether Hatem Yavuz has now been appointed turkish ambassador to Namibia? If it transpires that neither Minister’s Iyambo or Esau of Fisheries gave their approval to the buyout in writing as required by law, prior to Hatem making such offer in writing, then it is most certainl
y fraud on the part of Hatem Yavuz. If it is indeed so, will the Minister of Fisheries charge Hatem Yavuz criminally and withdraw sealing rights, to slaughter a million endangered seal pups?
I wonder what the Minister of Justice in Namibia has to say about the sale of state assets?
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
078 152 9162
see face book link for copy of Hatem Yavuz signed offer,http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php?fcode=94c58bfc2&f=100001165574935#!/profile.php?id=588053448
This guy is a sorry excuse for a human being. How would he like to be treated the way these babies are. Hopefully it will be put out of business really soon and the seals will be safe.