Former MTC board chairperson Dirk Conradie has been ordered to pay a N$200,000 fine after being convicted of two offences under Namibia’s Anti-Corruption Act.

Windhoek High Court Judge Thomas Masuku handed down the sentence on Monday, with Conradie facing five years in prison if he fails to pay the fine. His co-accused, Sara Damases, was fined N$60,000 or two years’ imprisonment.

The convictions stem from a 2012 meeting with directors of advertising agency DV8 Saatchi & Saatchi. The court found that Conradie offered to use his position at MTC to assist the agency in securing an advertising contract worth about N$60 million, in exchange for bringing Damases into the business as a BEE partner or in another role.

Judge Masuku considered Conradie’s position as MTC board chairperson an aggravating factor, although the court noted that neither accused ultimately benefited from the proposed arrangement.