Fishrot affair

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Fishrot affair ( Icelandic Samherjaskjölin , English Fishrot scandal ; Fishrot means about fish waste in German ) describes incidents of fishing rights revealed in 2019 .

In October 2019, a report in the Namibian daily newspaper The Namibian began publications on an international scandal over fishing rights, and on November 12, 2019, the discovery platform WikiLeaks published the first documents. The collection of more than 30,000 documents is intended to expose illegal activities relating to fishing rights of one of the largest fishing companies in Iceland , Samherji , as well as business people and politicians in Namibia. Hundreds of millions of Icelandic kronorbribes are said to have flowed. The money was intended for high-ranking politicians in Namibia, who were supposed to enforce an allocation of fishing rights to subsidiary and bogus companies of Samherji.

On the same day, the former managing director of Samherji in Namibia, Jóhannes Stefánsson, commented on the allegations as a whistleblower on the Icelandic television station RÚV . He works closely with government authorities, including the Namibian Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Stefánsson accused the majority owner and managing director of Samherji, Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson , of direct instruction to bribe .

The scandal spread to Norway because the local DNB ASA is said to have carried out some of the money transfers. High-ranking politicians in Angola should also be involved.

As part of the publication of the first results of the investigations in July 2020, further international cash flows to Kazakhstan came to light. One billion Namibian dollars is said to have flowed to a bank there. The investigation continues, as official statements from Angola, Spain and Dubai are pending.

Previous episodes

Former Namibian Fisheries Minister Esau (2019)

On November 13, 2019 came under pressure from the Namibian president Hage Geingob the Fisheries Minister Bernhard Esau and Justice Minister Sacky Shangala from their positions back.

Samherji published a statement that the whistleblower Jóhannes Stefánsson was the only one behind the scandal and that no other high-ranking people in the company were involved. Stefánsson admitted that he was part of the scandal, but at no time claims to have had access to the corporate accounts in Cyprus from which the bribes are said to have flowed. In addition, the money flowed up to three years after his departure.

On November 14, 2019, Samherji announced that managing director Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson had resigned. On the same day, Investec Managing Director James Hatuikulipi resigned from his post in Namibia. At the same time, the Namibian Minister for State Enterprises , Leon Jooste , announced far-reaching high-level layoffs in the state fisheries sector .

The ACC confirmed on November 15 that investigations had already started in 2014 and that arrests would now be threatened after giving an oath instead of the whistleblower.

On November 18, 2019, the Namibian bank accounts of Shangala and Hatuikulipi were frozen.

Esau was arrested on November 23, 2019 and released the following day. The arrest warrant was rejected by a court due to formal errors. The search continues for, inter alia, Shangala, which is said to be abroad.

On November 27, 2019, the arrest of ex-Justice Minister Sacky Shangala and James Hatuikulipi was announced.

All six arrested, ie the two former ministers Esau and Shangala and businessmen James Hatuikulipi, Tamson Hatuikulipi, Ricardo Gustavo and Pius Mwatelulo, were brought before the judge on November 28th. You are charged with various offenses under the anti-corruption law. The suspects withdrew formal bail requests on December 2, 2019. Thus they remain until at least February 20, 2020 in custody . They are charged with corruption , money laundering and fraud . [outdated]

By the end of January 2020, the number of those arrested had increased by three to nine. In addition, assets of the so-called "Fishrot Nine" are to or have been frozen in Namibia and abroad.

At the beginning of February 2020, the fishing vessel Heinaste von Samherji was confiscated by the Namibian police for the second time within weeks . This justified the determination with laws to avoid organized crime. The ship's captain had previously been fined for illegal fishing.

On February 17, 2020, Mike Nghipunya , the managing director of the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor), the tenth person was arrested.

On July 22, 2020, after a two-week hearing, a bail request from Esau and Tamson Hatuikulipi was denied. According to the presiding judge, the severity of the allegations, unanswered questions and a possible long prison term did not allow for a release on bail.

Suspects

Main Suspect ( Fishrot Six )
  • Bernhard Esau (Namibia), former Minister of Fisheries - Corruption
  • Sacky Shangala (Namibia), former Minister of Justice - Corruption
  • James Hatuikulipi (Namibia), Managing Director at Investec - Corruption
  • Tamson Hatuikulipi (Namibia), cousin of James and son-in-law of Bernhard Esau - Corruption
  • Ricardo Gustavo, Investec Banker - Corruption
  • Pius Mwatelulo (Namibia) - Corruption
More suspects
  • Mike Nghipunya (Namibia), Managing Director of Fishcor - Corruption
  • Sakaria Kuutondokwa Kokule (Namibia), police reserve - bribery of investigating officers
  • Jason Iyambo (Namibia) - Bribery of investigating officers
  • Nigel van Wyk (Namibia) - obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence
  • Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson (Iceland), Managing Director of Samherji - Corruption

Documentation

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Safety fears over fishing scandal probe. The Namibian, October 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ What Samherji wanted hidden . In: RÚV . Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  3. ↑ An Icelandic fishing company bribed officials in Namibia and used Norway's largest bank to transfer 70 million dollars to a tax haven . In: Stundin , November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  4. ↑ November 2019 Mistenkte bestikkelser betalt fra DNB account - sluset via Dubai to Namibia . In: Dagens Næringsliv , November 14, 2019. 
  5. ^ Norway's DNB to investigate allegedly improper Icelandic payments to Namibia . In: Reuters , November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  6. ↑ Dramatic Fishrot revelations in ACC testimony. Informanté, July 8, 2020.
  7. ↑ Namibísku ráðherrarnir segja af sér . In: Stundin , November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  8. ↑ Sakeus Iileka: Disgraced minister resign . In: The Namibian , November 14, 2019, p. 1. 
  9. ↑ Þorsteinn Már skellir skuldinni á uppljóstrarann . In: Vísir.is , November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  10. ↑ Samherji kennir Jóhannesi um allt - Segjast ekkert hafa að fela . In: Kjarninn , November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  11. ↑ Félög Samherja á Kýpur greiddu 280 milljónir í mútur eftir að Jóhannes hætti . In: Stundin , November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  12. ↑ CEO of Samherji Steps Aside Amid Bribery Scandal. Icelandreview, November 14, 2019.
  13. ↑ Scandal-hit Hatuikulipi resigns at Investec. The Namibian, November 15, 2019.
  14. ↑ ACC will pursue criminal charges in fishing scandal. Informanté, November 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ Fishrot Bank accounts frozen. The Namibian, November 19, 2019.
  16. ↑ Esau is free to go. Informanté, November 24th 210.
  17. ↑ Shanghala and Hatuikulipi arrested. Namibia Press Agency, November 27, 2019.
  18. ↑ Fishrot Six set to apply for bail. Informanté, November 28, 2019.
  19. ^ Morning news. Hitradio Namibia, January 27, 2020.
  20. ↑ Samherji on the warpath about seized vessel. Informanté, February 12, 2020.
  21. ↑ Heinaste captain fined N $ 950,000. New Era, February 6, 2020.
  22. ↑ Suspended Fishcor CEO arrested. The Namibian, February 17, 2020.
  23. ^ No bail for ex-Cabinet minister Esau and his son-in-law. Namibia Press Agency, July 22, 2020.