If former Icelandic ministers broke laws on ministerial responsibility with their reported negligence, they could face up to two years in prison.
The Althingi-commissioned report into Iceland’s banking collapse in 2008 accused ministers Geir H. Haarde (Prime Minister), Arni Mathiesen (Finance Minister) and Bjorgvin G. Sigurdsson (Minister of Commerce) with gross negligence in their handling of the run up to the collapse.
A committee of MPs will meet to go over the report today and prepare a response on behalf of parliament. Bjorgvin G. Sigurdsson has already requested that the committee call together a so-called ‘national high court’ to pronounce on the ministers’ alleged negligence.
Under Iceland’s laws on ministerial responsibility from 1963, ministers found to have acted negligently can face fines or prison. The head of the parliamentary committee, Atli Gislason, told RUV that this particular issue absolutely must be dealt with during this session of parliament, which ends in September.
Hopefully they should be held liable commensurate to the crime at each maximum, as two years is too leniet while they were paid millions supposedly to protect the interest of the majority they have neglected and abandoned. It is not a joke to violate the system and bankrupt Iceland at the expense of the majority. A lesson has to be learned from the incident.
they should not face only jail, they should also being responsible with their assets for the collapse
I would not hold my breath on this one.Any ministers found guilty do deserve to go to prison not just because of their fraudulent actions but for the misery they have caused to ordinary hard working Icelanders and for the damage they have done to the reputation of Iceland internationally.
However, I think it is improbable that any of them will spend any time in Icelandic prison “resorts” unless it is for their own protection from angry lynch mobs. I have seen how the High Court system works here and so I am not confident that any justice will be done. High ranking ministers have friends in high places and this is especially true in Iceland because of its size.
In the unlikely event that any of them are placed “behind bars” (panoramic view windows) they should have to fund their incarceration with their ill gotten gains. I think it is far more likely that they will simply dodge the bullet and a superficial shuffle of authority will take place.
Could “negligent Iceland ex-ministers face jail” ? Justice is for all to be fair and not only jail terms of TWO YEARS but commensurate to the offense at its maximun, freezing and recovery of the ill-gotten wealth. It is an assault on the majority to pay higher taxes while the theives are luxuriating with their wealth and flaunting it.
Lastly, maybe they will be safer in jail as the population of the country has diminished since the collapsed of the bank.
To those handling the case do be transparent, no cover-up and avoid the octopus of knowing and uphold the dignity entrusted to you all.
this is never going to happen