An appearance by the husband of a convicted salmon smuggler on Norwegian radio last week is raising the hackles of the world's second largest salmon producer, forcing it to re-assert its detachment from the case.
State radio station NRK told the story of Norwegian citizen Yimin Dong, who was arrested in 2018 by the Chinese authorities and is now serving a 13-year prison sentence for smuggling Norwegian salmon from Vietnam to China.
During the program, Dong is described as SalMar's China manager, a title Dong herself also apparently gave to IntraFish when she was interviewed for a story in 2017. It is a title that SalMar refutes.
Dong's husband, Bjorn Wikne, also told NRK that SalMar and its founder Gustav Witzoe knew about and had been responsible for the illegal import of salmon to China.
"They knew everything," he said. "They were fully aware that the fish that went to Vietnam, almost all - if not all - went directly to the customers in China."
He criticized SalMar for the case his wife was convicted in and asked the company to take responsibility.
In a statement on its website in response to the program, SalMar strongly refuted the claims, although added that dialogue had now begun between the company and Wikne to see if anything could be done to help the situation.
"NRK has referred to Yimin Dong as SalMar's China manager and claims that SalMar has been responsible for and knew about the illegal import of salmon to China. Both parts are wrong," it writes.
SalMar claims Dong was never employed or received salary or other remuneration from the company, but was "an important customer" for it and other Norwegian seafood companies.
SalMar said the fish she bought was delivered and taken over by her company in Vietnam. It was this company that was responsible for resale and all further handling of the goods, including correctly reporting to the relevant authorities.
"As far as SalMar knows, it has never been stated by Chinese courts or the country's authorities that SalMar should have contributed to illegalities in China."
The company did however look to offer help to Dong's family.
"SalMar understands that Yimin Dong and her loved ones have found themselves in a difficult situation, and is sorry and regrets that the company was not able to establish a better communication about providing humanitarian aid to her in 2019.
"SalMar is pleased that dialogue has now been established to clarify whether there is anything SalMar and Wikne can do together to remedy the situation for Yimin," it writes.
The backdrop
SalMar's business relations with Dong were established in 2007, according to the Norwegian salmon producer, the world's second largest after Mowi.
Three years later, after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo, China introduced a series of sanctions against Norwegian businesses. A total ban on selling Norwegian salmon to China was not introduced. Nevertheless, other markets in Asia emerged as important trading partners and recipients of Norwegian salmon in the time that followed.
At this time, Dong conducted a significant part of her business by importing salmon to Vietnam, said SalMar.
"Her company was an important buyer and importer of Norwegian salmon, including from SalMar. According to agreements and international rules, it was these companies that were responsible for the goods being paid for and for further correct reporting and handling towards the relevant authorities in the importing country."
SalMar does admit, however, that beginning in 2007 on the initiative of Dong, SalMar established a practice where Dong's customers could settle directly with SalMar for fish they had bought from her companies.
In its program, NRK refers to documents it believes establish that Dong was SalMar's China manager.
These documents concern SalMar's establishment of a company together with Dong in 2018, i.e. after the Chinese import restrictions had ended, writes SalMar. "This company never managed to become operational before Dong was arrested."
