On 12 November 2019, WikiLeaks began publishing what it called the Fishrot Files (Icelandic: Samherjaskjölin), a collection of thousands of documents and email communication by employees of one of Iceland's largest fish industry companies, Samherji, that indicated that the company had paid hundreds of millions ISK to high ranking politicians and officials in Namibia with the objective of acquiring the country's coveted fishing quota.
[3][4] On 15 November 2019, Fréttablaðið published a story about an email exchange between the general manager of Síldarvinnslan hf., Gunnþór Ingvason, and Samherji employees, Aðalsteinn Helgason, Jóhannes Stefánsson, and an unidentified third man.
[12][13][14] On 14 November, the board of Samherji announced that Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson had temporary stepped aside as CEO and would be replaced by Björgólfur Jóhannsson while the company conducted an internal investigation on the allegations.
[16] On 15 November, member of Alþingi for Miðflokkurinn and former Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, accused RÚV and Stundin of practising yellow journalism in relation to the scandal and suggested that the government should stop subsidizing private media companies.
[20][21] On 20 November it was reported that James Hatuikulipi had resigned as chairman of the state owned fish industry company Fishcor due to the scandal.