Also known as: Samherji hf. · Icelandic fishing giant Samherji · Icelandic fishing company Samherji · Samherja · Samherji group of companies
Icelandic fishing company accused of using bribes and corruption to obtain Namibian fishing quotas between 2012 and 2019 in the Fishrot scandal.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Samherji
Every mention in the Namibian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
The Namibian
Samherji has been accused of paying bribes to arrested ministers and their henchmen
“Esau used the system to divert horse mackerel fishing rights to the Icelandic company Samherji, which has been accused of paying bribes to the arrested ministers and their henchmen.”
Fishrot is Alive and KickingRicardo Gustavo and Namgomar Pesca Namibia have requested the High Court order the state to provide more details on charges including racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy to commit corruption, corruptly giving gratification, fraud and tax evasion. Judge Eileen Rakow postponed the hearing on the application for further particulars to 11 November.
20 October 2026 · The Namibian →
Ricardo Gustavo and Namgomar Pesca Namibia have requested the High Court order the state to provide more details on charges including racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy to commit corruption, corruptly giving gratification, fraud and tax evasion. Judge Eileen Rakow postponed the hearing on the application for further particulars to 11 November.
20 October 2026 · The Namibian →
Businessman James Hatuikulipi has lodged an urgent application in August 2026 to overturn a judgment that led to the auctioning of his Finkenstein property, claiming new evidence shows levies were paid despite the auction proceeding. Hatuikulipi is among those arrested in 2019 in connection with the "Fishrot" scandal, accused of involvement in an alleged racketeering, corruption and money-laundering scheme involving at least N$300 million related to bribes from Icelandic fishing company Samherji for horse mackerel quotas.
3 September 2026 · Informanté →
Acting prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has obtained a Prevention of Organised Crime Act property restraint order in respect of fugitive lawyer Marén de Klerk's assets valued at up to N$75.3 million, as well as assets valued at up to N$2.3 million in respect of the close corporation Moyo Estates. De Klerk, who left Namibia in January 2020 and is believed to be living in South Africa, is wanted in connection with the Fishrot fraud case involving alleged illegal allocation of Namibian fishing quotas.
20 July 2026 · The Namibian →
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. The workers argue they suffered direct harm from alleged corrupt conduct between 2012 and 2019, including job losses, food and housing insecurity, school fee difficulties, debt accumulation, and psychological stress.
12 July 2026 · The Namibian →
The Namibian government has requested a temporary postponement of a civil case brought by ESJA Investments (a Samherji subsidiary) seeking N$162.6 million in funds related to the MFV Heinaste fishing vessel involved in the Fishrot scandal, citing witness safety concerns and stating the main witness should testify in the criminal matter first before the civil case proceeds.
29 June 2026 · Informanté →
Former Justice Minister Sackeus Shanghala and co-accused James Hatuikulipi have filed a Supreme Court petition seeking the removal of Judge Marelize du Plessis from their fisheries and corruption trial, after she dismissed their recusal application in March 2026. A lawyer for another accused has also indicated plans to apply for bail release, citing compromised fair trial rights and inadequate consultation facilities.
24 June 2026 · Informanté →
Iceland's finance minister attributed the Fishrot scandal to corruption in Namibia rather than Iceland, a comment an Icelandic journalist and former Transparency International Iceland director calls emotional escapism rooted in "Icelandic exceptionalism"—a delusional belief that Iceland is inherently uncorrupt and that corruption is merely a "foreign infection."
13 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Former Angolan fisheries minister Vitória de Barros Neto has denied responsibility for alleged misappropriation of around 300 million kwanzas in public funds from fish commercialisation in the common marine zone between Namibia and Angola during her 2012–2019 tenure. The trial, which began in December 2019, is not connected to Namibia's Fishrot scandal, though both involve fisheries-sector corruption around the same period.
11 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Iceland's finance minister Daði Már Kristófersson has said corruption in the Fishrot case reflects Namibia and not Iceland, following media coverage of Icelandic fishing company Samherji's operations. Namibian MP Rodney Cloete rejected the statement, arguing it ignores the role of foreign companies involved in the scandal.
27 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Icelandic artist Oddur Eysteinn Friðriksson created a fabricated website and press release falsely claiming to be from Alda Seafood Holding, apologising for alleged corporate wrongdoing in Namibia linked to the Fishrot scandal. The spoof was designed as an artistic intervention to highlight issues of corporate accountability and freedom of expression, and misled at least two prominent Namibian daily newspapers.
27 April 2026 · Informanté →
Lawyer Florian Beukes argued in High Court that his client Bernard Esau, 69, has experienced oppressive pre-trial incarceration after seven years in custody since his arrest in November 2019, citing exhausted defence funds and violation of constitutional rights to a speedy trial. Esau and nine co-accused, including former Justice Minister Sacky Shanghala, face 42 counts including corruption and racketeering over allegedly receiving N$300 million in payments to favour the Icelandic fishing company Samherji.
24 April 2026 · Informanté →
The Fishrot case has been postponed to 24 April 2026 as former justice minister Sakeus Shanghala pursues leave to appeal a ruling dismissing his request for Judge Marelize du Plessis to recuse herself. Ricardo Gustavo's lawyer argues the repeated delays infringe the accused's right to a speedy trial and violate constitutional rights.
16 April 2026 · New Era →
A Scottish litigation firm is pursuing a US$1 billion claim against Icelandic fishing company Samherji on behalf of Namibia's state-owned Fishcor, alleging the company used bribes and corruption to obtain fishing quotas between 2012 and 2019. Samherji denies the allegations and says it is defending itself in London courts.
16 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Proceedings in the high-profile corruption trial of former justice minister Sacky Shanghala and others have stalled over a disagreement about which of two competing appeals applications should be heard first—a recusal challenge or a stay-of-proceedings request. The court has adjourned until 5 May 2026 to resolve the procedural impasse.
14 April 2026 · New Era →
Namibia's Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by three Fishrot accused—former attorney general Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, and Pius Mwatelulo—challenging the prosecutor general's use of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to seize their assets. The court upheld the High Court's restraint order covering bank funds, properties, vehicles, and luxury goods, finding that the prosecutor general may rely on Anti-Corruption Commission evidence rather than police investigations alone.
7 April 2026 · The Namibian →
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has referred compensation claims from 252 former Samherji employees to the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations, noting that affected workers were already considered under a government redress programme aimed at reintegrating them into the fishing industry following the company's 2019–2020 closure. Some former employees argue that placement at other companies does not fully address their financial losses.
25 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Former employees of Icelandic fishing company Samherji have renewed demands for compensation seven years after losing their jobs when the company ceased operations in Namibia following the 2019 Fishrot scandal. The 252 workers, who received only N$10,000 severance and no consideration for years of service, say they have been left struggling financially while assets and vessels were sold off.
5 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Maren De Klerk, a lawyer implicated in the Fishrot corruption scandal, has taken the Prosecutor General and Inspector General of Police to court seeking release of his N$1.3 million pension fund, which he claims was unlawfully seized. De Klerk, accused of channelling millions through his law firm to co-accused ex-cabinet ministers in the N$10 billion scheme, remains in South Africa pending extradition after technical defects delayed the State's initial extradition application.
4 March 2026 · Informanté →
Two high-profile state prosecutors leading the Fishrot fraud and corruption trial, Deputy Prosecutor General Ed Marondedze and State Prosecutor Cliff Lutibezi, threatened to resign over low pay and were subsequently granted a N$54,000 monthly salary increase. The salary increase has drawn criticism from some colleagues whose own pleas for raises have not been addressed, and from a former deputy prosecutor general who says the timing is problematic given the case's current stage.
7 February 2026 · The Namibian →
After nearly six years, the fishing quota corruption trial in which Namibian fisheries resources were allegedly stolen through deals with Icelandic company Samherji will begin on March 9, 2026. Acting Judge Marilize du Plessis rejected multiple postponement applications from former minister Sacky Shanghala and co-accused, ruling that lengthy delays in the civil review process and years of court proceedings weighed against further delay.
22 January 2026 · New Era →