Govt in dark over Erindi sale

The minister of trade and industry, Lucia Iipumbu, says she is unaware that Erindi Game Reserve was indeed sold to recently-deceased Mexican billionaire Alberto Baillères, as stated by the presidency on Friday.
In a message of condolence, President Hage Geingob said Baillères González, one of the most influential business leaders in Mexico, was the owner of Erindi Private Game Reserve in the Otjozondjupa Region.
Presidential press secretary Alfredo Hengari yesterday said the condolences statement was standard practice for someone who had invested in Namibia.
“It is best to speak to his communications people.”
The late investor was supposed to have bought the farm for N$122 billion ($8.3 billion), but until recently the media were made to understand that the transaction was still subject to Namibian Competition Commission approval, and certain other contracting party-related suspensive conditions.
Servaas van den Bosch, the spokesperson for Baillères, said he was yet to get a formal response from Mexico and referred questions to the trade ministry in the meantime.
Trade minister Iipumbu, however, said she had not worked with anything involving Erindi when she took office in 2019.
“Those transactions were done before my time. I have to confirm, I haven’t dealt with anything about Erindi,” she said.