No political will to pursue Fishrot in Iceland
OGONE TLHAGE
WINDHOEK
The executive director of Transparency International Iceland, Thor Fanndal, says there is no political will in Iceland to pursue the Fishrot corruption scandal in that country.
Seafood giant Samherji is alleged to have benefitted from the allocation of fishing quotas below market value in a scheme involving former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, former justice minister Sacky Shanghala, former Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya, former Fishcor board chairperson James Hatuikulipi, businessman Tamson Hatuikulipi, lawyer Maren de Klerk and Pius Mwatelulo.
Also implicated in the matter are Samherji employees Ingvar Júlíusson, Egill Helgi Árnason and Adalsteinn Helgason, whom Namibia wants extradited.
Fanndal said there were indications that the matter was being brushed off by Iceland’s political elite.
“There has been an unwillingness from politicians belonging to the coalition; there is an unwillingness to admit that this case is created by systematic… there are systematic errors at play here,” he said.
According to him, there have been instances when even Samherji itself was looking at means to supress information being revealed regarding its activities in Namibia.
“There is an unwillingness by the politicians to see this as anything else than an outlier, or see it as a responsibility among themselves, which is particularly frustrating given that in this case the tactics employed by Samherji have been of threatening information-gathering on civil society, ridicule and seething behaviour towards those who criticise journalists and whistle-blowers,” Fanndal said.
Long way to go
Iceland, he added, had a long way to go to effectively deal with corruption.
“We have a long way to go there, particularly in understanding the grand systematic failures at play, but that is the story of Iceland when it comes to anti-corruption.”
Fanndal was pleased, however, that authorities were not taking the matter for granted in Iceland.
“The authorities are working with the Namibian authorities. We haven’t had much news where it stands, but there have been reports that the tax investigation on Samherji is reaching its end. I think in general there is somewhat trust; this case is, however, of such scale [that there is] somewhat shock from society,” he said.
WINDHOEK
The executive director of Transparency International Iceland, Thor Fanndal, says there is no political will in Iceland to pursue the Fishrot corruption scandal in that country.
Seafood giant Samherji is alleged to have benefitted from the allocation of fishing quotas below market value in a scheme involving former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, former justice minister Sacky Shanghala, former Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya, former Fishcor board chairperson James Hatuikulipi, businessman Tamson Hatuikulipi, lawyer Maren de Klerk and Pius Mwatelulo.
Also implicated in the matter are Samherji employees Ingvar Júlíusson, Egill Helgi Árnason and Adalsteinn Helgason, whom Namibia wants extradited.
Fanndal said there were indications that the matter was being brushed off by Iceland’s political elite.
“There has been an unwillingness from politicians belonging to the coalition; there is an unwillingness to admit that this case is created by systematic… there are systematic errors at play here,” he said.
According to him, there have been instances when even Samherji itself was looking at means to supress information being revealed regarding its activities in Namibia.
“There is an unwillingness by the politicians to see this as anything else than an outlier, or see it as a responsibility among themselves, which is particularly frustrating given that in this case the tactics employed by Samherji have been of threatening information-gathering on civil society, ridicule and seething behaviour towards those who criticise journalists and whistle-blowers,” Fanndal said.
Long way to go
Iceland, he added, had a long way to go to effectively deal with corruption.
“We have a long way to go there, particularly in understanding the grand systematic failures at play, but that is the story of Iceland when it comes to anti-corruption.”
Fanndal was pleased, however, that authorities were not taking the matter for granted in Iceland.
“The authorities are working with the Namibian authorities. We haven’t had much news where it stands, but there have been reports that the tax investigation on Samherji is reaching its end. I think in general there is somewhat trust; this case is, however, of such scale [that there is] somewhat shock from society,” he said.
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