The operators of the treatment home Götusmidjan, Street Pace in English, which mostly assisted teenagers in kicking their drug addiction, are now demanding compensation from the Icelandic state of the same amount as the treatment home Árbót received.
Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
Gísli Kr. Björnsson, Street Pace’s lawyer, told Fréttabladid that the agreement made with his client was very different from the agreement made with Árbót even though the cases are similar, which could be in violation of the Constitution’s amendment of equality.
At the end of June the Government Agency for Child Protection’s service agreement with Street Pace was terminated due to accusations that the home’s director had threatened teenagers who were staying there.
On June 15, the termination agreement was signed, which included Street Pace to receive almost ISK 20 million (USD 174,000, EUR 130,000) in compensation from the agency, which also contributed ISK 10 million to cover unpaid salaries of the home’s employees.
Björnsson said the home’s closure had not been just as charges were never filed against the director even though he requested an investigation into the matter himself. Therefore it was never determined whether the accusations were based on fact.
On August 1, the home’s director and the agency issued a joint statement that the closure of the home had been made in agreement and that the matter had come to an end satisfactory to all parties.
However, Björnsson stated the home’s director had issued the statement even though he didn’t agree with it.
In light of Fréttabladid’s coverage in the past days on how the termination agreement with Árbót was made, the director is now seeking his legal rights.
The agreement with Árbót was made at the same time as the agreement with Street Pace, yet they were approached in a very different manner, Björnsson said.
Click here to read more about the Ábót affair.
