Fishrot Files - 5 Years On
It’s been 5 years since the Fishrot files leaked, uncovering extensive political and corporate collusion and corruption.
The Fishrot Files is a major corruption scandal that emerged in 2019 after a whistleblower shared files with WikiLeaks, revealing extensive bribery and exploitation within Namibia's fishing industry.
Icelandic fishing company Samherji allegedly paid tens of millions in bribes to Namibian politicians and officials to secure lucrative quotas for fishing horse mackerel in Namibian Waters, a valuable fish stock in Namibia.
The scale of this grand corruption, driven by a European fishing conglomerate, has caused severe harm to the Namibian community, as detailed in the latest Institute for Public Policy Research Namibia report.
IPPR Namibia reports that almost 90% of the former fisheries workers are not able to find steady work, whether in the fisheries sector or any other sector, since losing their jobs as a result of the Fishrot corruption.
Investigations in Iceland are still ongoing, with currently 9 individuals holding the status of suspect.
The trial in Namibia currently has 10 defendants facing charges, but it has experienced significant delays.
In collaboration with a global civil society coalition, SWI demands the protection of human rights defenders and whistleblowers, justice for those involved, and the repatriation of stolen funds to the Namibian people, who have been unjustly deprived of their resources.