More than 1,000 former Namibian fisheries workers have asked Icelandic prosecutors to recognise them as victims in criminal proceedings linked to the Fishrot corruption scandal involving Icelandic fishing company Samherji.
Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organisation that works to prevent corruption and promote accountability, supported the workers in submitting formal claims to Icelandic prosecutors in a legal effort that could influence how victims of corruption are recognised and included in judicial proceedings in Iceland and beyond. The fishermen are asking Icelandic authorities to recognise the harm they suffered and allow them to participate in proceedings involving Icelandic fishing company Samherji.
The workers argued that the alleged corruption cost them their jobs and led to financial hardship, food and housing insecurity, debt and psychological distress. If accepted, the claims could set a legal precedent by allowing foreign victims of alleged corruption to participate in Icelandic criminal proceedings and seek formal recognition and compensation for the harm they suffered.
Icelandic fishing company Samherji, which is at the centre of the Fishrot corruption investigations, is suspected of using the Faroe Islands to avoid paying employee income tax in Namibia. The Faroe Islands are about halfway between Norway and Iceland and media reports from Iceland indicate that the fishing company used the islands to avoid paying tax amounting to U.S.$3 million. Now the Faroe Islands police have reportedly launched an investigation into Samherji’s subsidiary dealings on the
Government-appointed curators are facing significant legal and institutional hurdles in their efforts to seize and manage domestic and foreign assets linked to the Fishrot fraud and corruption scandal. The curators are also frustrated by local banks’ lack of
The Paarl magistrate’s court in South Africa’s Western Cape province has granted the state a postponement to Wednesday June 7, 2023 for its application to oppose bail for Marén de Klerk, the man wanted by Namibian authorities for his alleged role as paymaster in the ongoing multimillion “Fishrot” corruption case.
(file photo).