Ian Burton, the attorney hired by former Kaupthing chairman Sigurður Einarsson, told Vísir that special prosecutor Ólafur Þór Hauksson was behaving “like John Wayne in a cowboy movie.”
Sigurður is wanted for questioning by the special proseuctor, but Sigurður has said he will only return to Iceland on the condition that he is not arrested. The special prosecutor subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest with Interpol.
Ian Burton, Sigurður’s attorney, told Vísir that he believes the special prosecutor is behaving irrationally.
“It seems to me that this prosecutor wants to show the public that he’s a tough guy and he can lock people up. This prosecutor isn’t interested in discussion. He wants to behave like John Wayne in a cowboy movie,” he said in part, echoing earlier statements made by Sigurður himself, that the arrests were “a drama … created to soothe the public’s anger.”
Burton added that he could ensure Sigurður would return to Iceland, if the special prosecutor got in touch with him. He also stressed that his client was willing to undergo questioning in the UK.
The Minister of Justice has pointed out that the UK and Iceland have an extradition agreement, so Sigurður may be coming back to Iceland anyway, whether he likes it or not.