Two Namibian ministers resigned on Wednesday over allegations of corruption and money-laundering in the Namibian fishing industry, presidential spokesman Alfredo Hengari said in a statement, reported Reuters.
They stepped down “following press and media reports in which allegations of corruption have been made against” them, Hengari added.
According to documents published by Wikileaks on Tuesday, Samherji, one of Iceland’s largest fishing companies, is suspected of bribing Bernhard Esau, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and Sacky Shanghala, the Minister of Justice, in return for giving preferential access to Namibia’s rich fishing grounds.
As per media reports, the two accused ministers had awarded horse mackerel quotas to Samherji fishing firm in exchange for bribes. The ministers and the Namibia managing director of South African investment firm Investec had spearheaded a fishing scheme generating kickbacks of at least 150 million Namibian dollars ($10 million) over four years.
Namibian President Hage Geingob said he had accepted the resignations after meeting the two ministers to discuss the allegations. He added that they were innocent until proven guilty.
Esau has denied the allegations, saying he had only stepped down to prevent a “media campaign” from tarnishing the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) ahead of general elections later in November.
Samherji has also denied any wrongdoing, saying it had nothing to hide.
Media reports claim Samherji’s former country director Johannes Stefansson was the one who tipped Wikileaks about the issue. He came forward to testify about the company’s activities and cooperated with the police and anti-corruption authorities.
“We are deeply shocked that Johannes Stefansson not only admits being involved in illegal activities, he is now also making allegations against colleagues,” said Samherji CEO Thorsteinn Mar Baldvinsson in a statement. “This is not how we do business. This is not Samherji.”
Fishing is one of Namibia’s key economic sectors, second to mineral mining.
