Outrage over corruption in Denmark

Denmark has been rocked by a corruption scandal over fishing quotas. Over a period of twelve years a group of so-called "quota-kings" allegedly procured fishing licenses using fake papers and sold them on to fishermen. As many as eight ministers are potentially involved in the illegal trading. The Danish press is up in arms.

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Jyllands-Posten (DK) /

Fishing quota scandal needs solving

Denmark's decent track record on corruption makes a neutral investigation of the fishing quota scandal all the more important, writes Jyllands-Posten:

“The scandal is so serious that it seems necessary to have an external investigation. This will allow us to determine whether charges should be brought against one or several of the ministers in question - if not all eight of them. At the same time an external authority should examine whether to take legal action against the government officials - also to ensure that the public has access to testimony given under oath. And so that parliament finally makes an attempt to establish where political responsibility for the civil service machinery lies.”

Politiken (DK) /

The state has insulted the people

The scandal over trading in fishing quotas needs to be cleared up as quickly as possible, Politiken demands:

“We urgently need to establish where the political responsibility lies here. What did the ministers know? What information were they given by officials? What role did professional fishermen play? When irregularities go unchecked for so many years it is an indication of monstrous incompetence and an unhealthy working culture. The state risks losing the people's trust in its ability to govern legally and justly.”