According to a Baugur sponsored IMG survey, an overwhelming majority of the Icelandic public is in favor of stopping the prosecution of Baugur managers, reports Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, RÚV.
RÚV pointed out that the reply rate of the poll was low, around 60%: of 1,200 people polled, 672 answered the survey while 496 refused to answer.
The poll asked participants if the Baugur case had reflected well on any party. 90% answered “yes” to Baugur and the “Baugur people”.
The poll asked participants if the Baugur case had reflected poorly on any party. Prosecutors and police placed at the top of that list.
Only 14% of respondents believed suspicion of crime instigated the Baugur investigation. About the same number believe that the investigation can be traced to ex-prime minister Davíd Oddsson. Most people believed that “jealousy” and “meanness” had motivated the Baugur case.
The results were based on a survey conducted from March 20 – 22, with 1200 adults participating.
According to a Morgunbladid report last Thursday, Lýdur Gudmundsson, Chairman of the former state owned teleco Síminn and CEO of the food services company Bakkavör, complained that Dagsbrún, of which Baugur is the largest single shareholder with approximately 30%, “completely” dominated the Icelandic media market. Lýdur criticized the “consolidation of ownership” in the media market and the “consequent erosion of effective competition”.
Yesterday, Baugur CEO Jón Ásgeir Jóhanness, his sister Kristín Jónhannesdóttir and their father, Jóhannes Jónsson, published a full-page ad in Dagsbrún-owned daily Fréttabladid.
Under the prominent headline “Friends and Colleagues; We Are Grateful to You All”, they said: “To mark the occasion of the complete acquittal of all defendants in the District Court of Reykjavík on March 15, we would like to convey our gratitude. We have learned to appreciate how important it is to have good friends during times of adversity. Thank you for the well-wishes and the support you have shown us over the four years during which the case against us has lasted. Your support had been worth more than we can say.”
