Former Kaupthing chairman Sigurður Einarsson – currently in the UK and wanted by Interpol for fraud – recently made an appeal to the Icelandic Supreme Court to have charges against him dropped. This appeal was today denied.
Special prosecutor ÓIafur Hauksson initially asked Sigurður to come in for questioning. When Sigurður said he would do so only on the condition that he not be arrested, Ólafur filed charges with Interpol. At the moment he is still in the UK, and hired attorney Ian Burton to defend him.
When his arrest warrant was posted with Interpol, he immediately appealed to the Supreme Court to have the charges dropped. The Supreme Court today rejected this appeal, on the grounds that it was not possible to have the charges dropped by filing an appeal with the Icelandic Supreme Court.
In related news, a poll conducted by the radio station Útvarps Saga asked respondents if they wanted to see Sigurður arrested and brought immediately to Iceland. Of the 2,129 people who answered, 97% said they did, with only 2% saying no and 1% neutral on the subject.