Namibia’s honorary consul probed for foggy Italian job

Namibia’s honorary consul probed for foggy Italian job OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

Namibia’s honorary consul to Italy, Dr Petter Johannessen, allegedly tried to sell Covid-19 vaccines to Italy’s Lombardy’s administrative region, according to a report in the Affaritaliani.

Johannessen was born in Denmark and spent part of his childhood in Walvis Bay in the 1950s when his father manned a whaling station in the Namibian coastal town.

Johannessen and a Swiss pharmaceutical company are reported to have approached authorities in the region with proposals to sell the Astra-Zeneca vaccine.

The proposals were emailed to the region’s purchasing centre and were subsequently rejected.

Italy had until last month blocked the rollout of Astra-Zeneca vaccines.

Johannessen, according to the documents, contacted Italian authorities on 3 February and assured them that he would be able to procure millions of doses of the vaccine.

The prosecutor’s office in Milan is now investigating a case of fraud against Johannessen.

The Namibian ministry of international relations has declined to respond on the matter, saying it needed time to seek clarity.

The roll-out of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine had been shunned after questions were raised about its efficacy to deal with the South African strain of the coronavirus, as well as its usefulness in persons aged over 65.