From Iceland — Haarde Trial Will Continue

Haarde Trial Will Continue

Published March 1, 2012

Parliament voted today to dismiss a conservative-led proposal to end the trial of former Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde. Conservative chairman Bjarni Benediktsson called it “a defeat for fundamental human rights.”
As reported, Geir is currently standing trial, charged with negligence and mismanagement for his part in the economic collapse of 2008. Last winter, conservative chairman Bjarni Benediktsson submitted a parliamentary proposal calling for the trial to be dropped.
While support for the proposal proved contentious, as even some members of the ruling coalition supported it, in the end the majority of the Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs – to which the proposal was submitted – voted to recommend it be rejected.
Vísir now reports that parliament followed the committee’s recommendations, with the majority voting to dismiss the proposal. The vote was fairly close, with 33 voting to defeat the proposal, 27 voting to support it, one abstention and two not present.
Conservative chairman Bjarni Benediktsson told reporters that there was “a great struggle behind the scenes” for the proposal, adding that he did not consider it a defeat for him, but “a defeat for the prosecuting authority and respect for fundamental human rights.”

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