Former Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde Taken to Court

The Althingi, the Icelandic parliament, has passed today a parliamentary resolution to take former Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde to High Court (Landsdómur) because of his alleged negligence for the events that lead to the disastrous banking collapse in 2008. The resolution has been passed with 33 votes against 30.

The parliament then voted to take to High Court other former ministers in Haarde’s government; unlike Haarde, all of them were spared. Former head of the Social Democrats and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, will thus not be brought to court (29 votes against 34); former Minister of Finance for the Independence Party, Arni M. Mathiesen from the Landsdómur will also be spared (31 against 32); Social Democrat Minister for Trade and Commerce, Bjorgvin G. Sigurdsson has also been spared (27-35).

Haarde, together with former Finance Minister Árni M. Mathiesen and former Minister of Business Affairs Björgvin G. Sigurdsson, was accused of negligence in the Special Investigative Commission report of April 2010, where it was determined that their actions – or better, inaction – had a significant effect on the course of the events that lead to the crisis.

Last week, current PM of Iceland Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir had firmly criticized suggestions made by a parliamentary committee that former ministers should have been taken to High Court because of their part in the financial collapse. According to the PM, all the ministers in question – former Foreign Minister Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir in particular – had not been in a position that would have let them prevent the banking collapse.

The Landsdómur – a special court that has never been convened in the history of the Republic of Iceland – will have to handle the case.

“I will answer all charges before the court and I will be vindicated.” Haarde, 59, told RUV television. “I have a clean slate. This charge borders on political persecution.”