The 2018 report prepared by the state auditor, Sigurður Þórðarson, on the Lindarhvoll case has been published on the Pirate Party’s website.
The contested report concerns the sale of public assets and potential corruption. The fact that the report had not been released was highly controversial and the decision was overturned by the President of the Parliament.
Read more: Speaker’s Committee Must Publish Contested Report
Lindarhvoll ehf. was a company established within the Ministry of Finance under Bjarni Benediktsson to manage assets that came into the possession of the state following the banking collapse. Allegations of misconduct assert that, among other things, Lindarhvoll may not have sold its assets at market price, and that state assets were used for personal enrichment. Legal battles over the report have sought to clarify the extent of the corruption.
Then-auditor Sigurður was tasked with overseeing the company as the appointed state auditor and his investigation lasted some two years. His successor, Skúli Eggert Þórðarson, was appointed as the new state auditor in 2018, and sought to take the report out of Sigurður’s hands, who had nearly finished his examination. However, the release of the report was delayed due to a lack of cooperation with Lindarhvoll management. Sigurður claims to have sent the report to the President of the Parliament at the time, Steingrímur J. Sigfússon.
Since then, efforts have been made to have the report published, but without success, and members of Parliament have fiercely debated the issue. The release of the report has been staunchly opposed by the President of the Parliament, Birgir Ármannsson. Additionally, various media outlets have made numerous requests to obtain the data, but without success.
Now, the 74-page-long report is available on the Pirate Party’s website. Pirate MP Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir has stated that the report was published with transparency and freedom of information in mind.
