Jónína Benediktsdóttir, advocate for ethics in business but better known as the former girlfriend of the father of Baugur CEO Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson, has withdrawn her name from the Independence Party Reykjavík City Council primaries.
“I have decided to withdraw my candidacy from the fifth slot on the city council slate of the Independence Party. The publishing date for my book “Ninna Nótt” (Ninna Night) will also be delayed because of personal issues. I demand that Baugur-owned media respect my privacy, and that of my family, and keep away from my home and children,” wrote Jónína in an announcement published in the Morgunbladid.
Last month, two days before her personal emails concerning Baugur were published in the Fréttabladid, Jónína promoted her book, a novel based on the sexual abuse women, on the television show Spotlight. A young sexual abuse victim joined her in the studio. In summing up the novel, Jónína said she had always been interested in the lives of women, “The book is based on fragments from lives of individuals I have known,” said Jónína. Pointing to the young woman beside her, Jónína continued to say, “She is a schizophrenic. I have gotten to know her world, and try to make this [the book]exciting.”
