The high-profile case against Danish quota king Henning Kjeldsen comes to an end as the prosecution will not be seeking leave to appeal against the recent judgement in which the Western High Court overturned the initial court ruling.
In December 2021 Henning Kjeldsen and his partners were found guilty of using proxies to hold more quotas than they were entitled to. The fines for both companies and individuals ran into millions.
The Western High Court subsequently found that the alleged offences had occurred under legislation that did not allow the accused in the case to be punished, and acquitted all the defendants.
The public prosecutor has now concluded that there is no basis for continuing to pursue the case. But it’s unlikely to end there, as Henning Kjeldsen and his fellow defendants may well have strong grounds to seek compensation.
Following the December 2021 verdict, he sold his quotas and vessels – including a part-built new Gitte Henning under construction in Spain, which is now the new Isafold HG-333 – and was likewise denied permission to establish a fishing business in Norway, on the grounds that there was still a case pending against him in Denmark.
That venture is still an option, as the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries position was that it would review the application once the case in Denmark had been concluded.
