New reports claim Samherji CEO Thorsteinn Mar Baldvinsson had close contact with Jóhannes Stefánsson, the company’s former director of operations in Namibia, during the time the Fishrot Scandal occurred, despite having previously denied regular communication with Stefansson during that period.
The Fishrot Scandal, originally publicized in 2019, featured Icelandic fishing firm Samherji allegedly bribing public officials to attain large fishing quotas in Namibia and evade taxes in the process.
Stefánsson released almost 30,000 files regarding the scandal through Wikileaks in 2019 and admitted to bribing public officials on behalf of the Icelandic conglomerate. Baldvinsson was originally suspended from his CEO role pending a review, but he was reinstated to the position in March of 2020 during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Baldvinsson denied Stefánsson’s allegations and claimed he had little direct contact with the whistleblower, maintaining that Stefánsson acted independently.
However, new findings by Icelandic investigative media outlet Heimildin shed new light on their relationship.
In an 18 October article, Heimildin said that Icelandic police have recovered ...
