Fishrot victims seek justice in Iceland

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.

Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organisation that works to prevent corruption and promote accountability, yesterday supported the workers to submit formal claims to Icelandic prosecutors in a legal effort that could influence how victims of corruption are recognised and included in judicial proceedings in Iceland and beyond.

The fishermen are asking Icelandic authorities to recognise the harm they suffered and allow them to participate in proceedings involving Icelandic fishing company Samherji.

“If accepted, the claims would represent a groundbreaking development by allowing foreign victims of alleged corruption to become formally involved in criminal proceedings in Iceland, which could also set a precedent for similar cases beyond Iceland,” Transparency International says.

The workers argue that they suffered direct harm from Samherji’s alleged corrupt conduct in Namibia between 2012 and 2019.

They say the consequences went beyond job losses and included food and housing insecurity, difficulties paying school fees, debt accumulation and psychological stress.

At the centre of their claims is whether workers who lost their livelihoods because of corruption can be recognised as victims under Icelandic law.

Transparency International says the workers’ claims highlight how corruption can have consequences beyond financial losses, affecting people’s livelihoods and communities.

The organisation is calling for the affected workers to be formally recognised as victims should Icelandic authorities commence criminal proceedings.

It is also calling for the full extent of the harm suffered by workers to be considered, including loss of income and livelihoods and impacts on housing, food security and education.

Alison Matthews, legal and advocacy adviser at Transparency International, says the case was about recognising the impact corruption has on ordinary people.

“The Fishrot scandal caused severe harm to workers and communities in Namibia. By supporting these claims in Iceland, we are making the human cost of corruption impossible to ignore,” Matthews says.

“We’re also helping ensure these workers – the people on the ground who lost their livelihoods and more – have their day in court and the opportunity to seek remedies, including formal acknowledgement of the harm they suffered and financial compensation.”

The latest legal move comes years after former fisheries workers affected by the scandal have been calling for recognition and compensation.

Many workers lost their jobs after Samherji-linked fishing operations in Namibia came to an end following the exposure of the Fishrot scandal in 2019.

A group of 252 former employees of Samherji-linked operations have previously sought compensation, arguing that they were left without proper redress after losing their jobs.

The workers included former employees from fishing vessels such as Heinaste, Saga Seafood and Geysir, whose operations were affected after the scandal became public. In 2024, an Institute for Public Policy Research study documented the experiences of former fisheries workers who said they continued to struggle financially after losing their jobs.

The report highlighted how the impact of the scandal affected families who depended on fisheries employment for income.

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