British murder accused’s bid to supply weapons to Govt questioned

High-ranking military officials have raised concerns about a proposal by British businessman and murder accused Harvey Boulter’s company to sell weapons to the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs for N$29 million.

Boulter is facing multiple charges in Namibia, including a count of murder, after a fatal shooting that killed his farm manager, Gerhard van Wyk in 2021.

The billionaire is also facing charges of being in possession of a firearm without a licence, and handling a gun while under the influence of alcohol.

Boulter has denied wrongdoing, claiming the shooting was accidental.

Boulter’s company, SX Arms and Ammunition, submitted a quotation to the defence ministry in July for the supply of rifles and other military equipment.

According to publicly available documents from the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa), the company’s directors are Boulter, prominent lawyer Kadhila Amoomo and South African national Shaun Bernard Links.

The company’s address is Boulter’s farm Kaross number 237, along the Opuwo road near Kamanjab.

The Namibian has learnt that Boulter’s company is also being considered to supply the Namibian police’s specialised units with weapons and that he has already supplied the Windhoek City Police with guns.

Boulter did not answer questions sent to him last Wednesday, and asked to be given until Friday to answer questions.

However, a similar story about him selling weapons to the government was published in another newspaper on Friday in which he confirmed that he submitted a proposal to sell arms to the government.

It has since emerged that Boulter answered similar questions on Wednesday – a day before he asked The Namibian for more time to respond.

“It seems that it (story) originated from the defence ministry […] I explained myself on Wednesday and had no idea if they would publish [it],” he said on Friday.
Boulter has since asked The Namibian to cite his comments published in another newspaper.
“I see they managed to get [defence minister Frans] Kapofi on record as well,” he said.

ARMS DEALER

Senior military figures, who declined to be named, are questioning how murder accused Boulter was cleared to trade arms with the military.

A senior military official says Boulter’s company would not pass the security screening normally conducted with such deals due to his controversial past and his unresolved murder case.

Concerns have been raised about an alleged close relationship between Boulter and high-ranking military and police officials.

Several senior government sources say there is speculation that some of these top officials have visited his game farm.

The Namibian has been provided with a list of at least three senior police and three senior military officials’ names who allegedly visited Boulter’s farm, where they allegedly received gifts such as expensive handguns and exclusive wine. Boulter did not respond to questions regarding this.

Namibian Defence Force chief Martin Pinehas and police chief inspector general Joseph Shikongo last week did not respond to questions about these allegations either.

Windhoek City Police chief Leevi Iileka last week confirmed receipt of questions about the police’s dealings with Boulter.

“Your SMS is well received. We will revert as soon as we have answers to your questions,” he said on Thursday.
Iileka did, however, not respond.

CHANGE OF GUARD

Bipa documents from 2017 show that Boulter and his slain farm manager, Van Wyk, were the only two directors of SX Arms and Ammunition.

In December 2021, about a year after Boulter’s farm shooting incident, SX Arms and Ammunition changed its directors to include Shaun Bernard Links and lawyer Kadhila Amoomo.

Links could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print.

Amoomo yesterday said: “I don’t discuss client information with the media.”

Boulter’s business dealings have been widely reported in prominent news outlets such as The Guardian, Bloomberg and the Sydney Morning Herald, which have described him as a high-flying champagne-loving businessman.

Boulter’s business and political entanglements have gained him a controversial reputation in the United Kingdom.

The Guardian reported between 2011 and 2014 that Boulter was linked to an extortion scandal that forced then UK defence minister Liam Fox to resign in October 2011.

Fox resigned after it became public that Boulter threatened an American company he was dealing with to pay his claims or he would use his influence and proximity to Fox to interfere with the company’s business in the UK.

Boulter at the time used a meeting he had with Fox in Dubai that year to expose his close ties to the minister.

After being forced to resign, Fox sued Boulter for defamation and the case was settled out of court in 2014. Boulter paid Fox an undisclosed settlement amount.

SAUDI THREAT

The Namibian in September reported that a Saudi Arabian company and five Saudi investors have for the second time withdrawn a multimillion-dollar lawsuit they filed in the Windhoek High Court against Boulter.

In the withdrawn case, a Saudi Arabian company were asking the High Court to declare that a judgement which a Dubai court granted in their favour against Boulter and Porton Managers in July 2020 is enforceable in Namibia.

In terms of the judgement, Boulter and Porton Managers were ordered to pay about 2,44 million British pounds (about N$58,5 million) to Tabarak Trading and Contracting and five other claimants who sued Boulter and his company.

Boulter denied wrongdoing and rejected the case, claiming “there is, in law, actually no judgement against me as far as Namibian judicial standards are concerned”.

DEATH IN KUNENE

Boulter is facing charges of murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence, and handling a firearm while under the influence of intoxicating liquor.

His criminal case is pending in the Windhoek High Court, but he has in the meantime filed an application to have prosecutor general Martha Imalwa’s decision to arraign him on the four charges reviewed and set aside.

In his application, which was filed at the High Court in February this year, Boulter is claiming there was “no reasonable and probable cause” for Imalwa to decide to arraign him in connection with the shooting.

He is also alleging that Imalwa did not apply her mind to representations that his lawyers made to her when they requested her last year to review the decision to charge him and to withdraw the charges against him.

Boulter’s application is due to be heard in the High Court on 17 January.