This morning, Gunnar Andersen, the Director General of the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) of Iceland, was fired, effective immediately. RÚV claims the reason for the immediate dismissal is that Gunnar secretly obtained information on Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, an MP of the Independence Party, and former Minister of Health. The former Director General denies that he has seen the information and says he is innocent.According to RÚV an employee of Landsbanki came to the Director’s home two days ago with some information about the former minister’s finances. Gudlaugur Thór, a leading figure in the opposition Independence Party, says he has no knowledge of the information or whether the story is true.
The official reason is that he had not been completely forthcoming in discussing his background at the Landsbanki. Gunnar Andersen was one of the top managers at Landsbanki for years, and in that capacity he formed some offshore companies, companies that were not disclosed to the FSA at the time. Gunnar Andersen claims that he acted in accordance with proper procedure, and nobody has accused him of illegal activities in connection with his former job.
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