Windhoek Observer
The Guardian: Bribery allegations rock Iceland and Namibia
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Impact
The findings from the Investigative Unit have made front-page news in many of the world’s most respected newspapers including The Guardian, Mail on Sunday and Daily Telegraph in Britain, India’s Hindustan Times, Le Monde in France, El Pais in Spain, The Australian, The New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today.
Our work has dominated political coverage in South Africa, Namibia, the Maldives and Kenya.
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Anatomy of a Bribe
The investigation resulted in the arrest of two Namibian cabinet ministers and four public officials, who remain in jail awaiting trial. The six now in prison include former Minister of Fisheries, Bernhard Esau, and former Minister of Justice, Sacky Shanghala, who were accused of corruption, fraud and tax evasion. The other suspects include Esau's son-in-law Tamson Hatuikulipi and his cousin James Hatuikulipi.
In the weeks following the film’s release, Namibian citizens protested throughout the country, calling for transparency and integrity in public offices. During elections held in Namibia since the release, the ruling SWAPO party has lost significant ground. In Iceland, hundreds of citizens protested outside the country’s parliament in sub-zero temperatures. Thorsteinn Már Baldvinsson, the CEO of Samherji, ‘stepped aside’ pending an internal investigation. The company’s activities are the subject of multiple criminal investigations in Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
In the Icelandic parliament, a representative said the “myth of Iceland’s innocence” had been lost. Norwegian authorities are also investigating DNB, the bank used by Samherji to transfer money into offshore accounts associated with senior political figures in Namibia.
Al Jazeera’s 'Anatomy of the Bribe’ documentary is now available in Oshiwambo. Watch the full video on YouTube: https://t.co/DKkP0l9MRt pic.twitter.com/QyokRnYZxh
— The Namibian (@TheNamibian) December 31, 2019
@ajiunit "The minister and his crew..." by Curtis Brown. When your investigation inspires a rap song. Anatomy Of A Bribe: https://aje.io/w3v32 fypage fishrot
♬ original sound - Al Jazeera's I-Unit
Walvis bay turned the volume all the to the max as they cry for change and removal of all corrupt members of the current administration. Namibia is not for sale, Namibia is all we have. We MUST, we MUST save it. pic.twitter.com/xtehGPvgNj
— Panduleni F B Itula (@panduleni_itula) December 10, 2019
WATCH | Namibians stage protest demonstration against corruption. pic.twitter.com/DA5C77s7GG
— New Era Newspaper (@NewEraNewspaper) November 15, 2019
An upcoming @AJEnglish investigation, featuring an interview with our own Daniel Balint-Kurti, has already seen two Ministers resign in #Namibia over bribery allegations - before it's even aired! https://t.co/IUXHGwZEpg
— Global Witness (@Global_Witness) November 14, 2019
Two Namibian ministers have resigned after an investigation by @AJEnglish revealed that they received bribes in return for preferential access to fishing grounds in the southern African country. https://t.co/rzW9z6V2c2 pic.twitter.com/nwFOK834Oj
— GIJN Africa (@gijnAfrica) November 14, 2019
RELEASE: Fishrot Files, over 30, 000 internal documents in a searchable database from the international fishing company Samherji, exposing corrupt schemes in Namibia, including millions of US$ in bribes to officials, to gain access to its fishing area.https://t.co/boT3p138TA
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 12, 2019
