Namibia Wants Fishrot Files Suspect Extradited From South Africa

The Paarl magistrate's court in South Africa's Western Cape province has granted the state a postponement to Wednesday June 7, 2023 for its application to oppose bail for Marén de Klerk, the man wanted by Namibian authorities for his alleged role as paymaster in the ongoing multimillion "Fishrot" corruption case.

The Mail & Guardian reports that Christie Viviers, acting for De Klerk, described his client's arrest as unconstitutional and an infringement on his rights.

De Klerk was taken into custody by the South African Police Service and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in South Africa.

Namibia has sent a request to the South African government for De Klerk's extradition.

In November 2019, WikiLeaks began publishing what it called the Fishrot Files, a collection of thousands of documents and email communications by employees of one of Iceland's largest fish industry companies, Samherji, that indicated that the company had paid hundreds of millions to high ranking politicians and officials in Namibia to acquire the country's coveted fishing quotas.

De Klerk is facing a maximum penalty of 100 years in prison or a substantial fine if convicted.

InFocus

(File photo).

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