corruption
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Coloniser Notes Colonisation: Danes Say Iceland Is An Oligarchy
This Saturday, Denmark’s oldest newspaper, Berlingske Tidende, ran a story it had been working on for months. The topic: the Icelandic fisheries industry. The conclusion: Iceland is an oligarchy. Berlingske’s story sites numerous Icelandic sources, some anonymous, some current Alþingi MPs, and…
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Iceland Improves Its Position On Transparency International’s Corruption Index
Iceland ranks 10th-12th on Transparency International’s list of least corrupt countries in the world, reports RÚV. Last year, Iceland was in 19th place. The latest annual assessment from Transparency International, released today, shows Iceland jumping nine places in the global rankings of…
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The Icelandic Roundup: Iceland Surprisingly Corrupt?
Atli Þór Fanndal, a representative of Transparency International in Iceland, says that systemic corruption in Iceland is a running theme within the government. The oversight institutions in Iceland are weak and the laws are sometimes useless when it comes to combating corruption.…
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Former City Councilman Gets Six Months Probationary Sentence For Money Laundering
Iceland’s Supreme Court confirmed the money laundering conviction for former Reykjavík City Councilman for the Independence Party Júlíus Vífill Ingvarsson, Vísir reports, but diminished his sentence from 10 months in prison to six, probationary. While Júlíus was found guilty in December 2018…
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Iceland Moves Down In Ranking On Corruption Index, Still Most Corrupt Nordic Country
Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index shows Iceland currently ranked 17th in the world in terms of the world’s least corrupt countries in 2020. This is down from 11th place in 2019. Separately, there is the Corruption Score, where 100 means being…
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GRECO: More Needs To Be Done To Combat Corruption In Iceland
The Icelandic government has been given 18 months to make further improvements to measures put in place to combat corruption. According to an article on RÚV, only four of the 18 suggested improvements have been made so far. The proposals for improvement…
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VIDEO: Anti-Corruption, Pro-Constitution Demonstration Draws Thousands
A demonstration held at Austurvöllur last Saturday drew some 4,000 people under a three-fold banner of some critical issues to a significant portion of Icelanders: a new constitution, the resignation of the Fishing Minister, and the collectivisation of profits generated from natural…
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Fishrot Files: Icelandic Investigations Into Samherji Bribes, Tax Evasion Begin
Two Icelandic banks are already investigating the accounting of Samherji—the Icelandic fishing giant currently embroiled in a scandal involving bribing Namibian officials for fishing quotas, and using a shell company in a tax haven to squirrel away the proceeds, Vísir reports. Samherji’s…
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Fishrot Files: Samherji In Damage Control, But Investigations Continue
Management of Samherji—the Icelandic fishing giant currently embroiled in a scandal involving bribing Namibian officials for fishing quotas, and using a shell company in a tax haven to squirrel away the proceeds—are trying their best to minimise and deflect criticism. However, investigations…
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Fishrot Files: The Response In Iceland So Far
Samherji CEO Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson has temporarily stepped down from his post, RÚV reports, while investigations are being conducted in the wake of the revelations being brought to light by the Fishrot Files—an exposé by Wikileaks and numerous media outlets showing how…
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Icelandic Fishing Company Engaged In Bribery, Tax Evasion, Plundering African Resources
Some 30,000 documents published by Wikileaks as The Fishrot Files, and subsequently reported on by Stundin, RÚV’s investigative news programme Kveikur, Al-Jazeera and The Namibian, show that Samherji, Iceland’s largest fishing company, has for years been engaging in bribery of public officials…
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Iceland Still The Most Corrupt Nordic Country
Public perception of corruption in Icelandic society continues to increase, according to the latest data from Transparency International. The country has also moved down a place in rank since last year. Iceland currently tied for 14th in rank, along with Hong Kong…
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Former Reykjavik Councilperson Found Guilty Of Money Laundering
Júlíus Vífill Ingvarsson, a former Reykjavík City Councilperson for the Independence Party, has been found guilty of money laundering in Reykjavík District Court today, RÚV reports. He received a sentence of ten months in prison, but this will be a probationary sentence…
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Action Needed to Protect Whistleblowers and Increase Transparency
A report on increasing confidence in the political system that was commissioned at the beginning of the year by Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir was released yesterday. According to RÚV, the report showed the need for swift legislative action to protect whistleblowers in…
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Five Myths About Iceland That Need To End
Iceland has a lot of fans. At the same time, we prefer to be admired for things that are actually true. A lot of the reasons people love Iceland, it seems, are based on some common, but easily debunkable, myths. As we…
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Rich & Conservative Icelanders Least Worried About Poverty And Corruption
The results of a new poll from Market and Media Research (MMR) will likely come as a surprise to exactly no one. The poll focused on where Iceland is doing well, and in what areas there is cause for concern. Generally speaking,…
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New GRECO Report Evaluates Iceland’s Response Against Corruption In Politics
In a report published yesterday by the Council of Europe, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) criticised Iceland for not making a big enough effort to fight corruption in politics. In 2015, the same year the infamous Panama Papers were leaked to…
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Monday News Edit: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
With no more weather-related complaints to issue, what has been on Icelanders’ minds as of late? Here’s a round-up of fresh debates, hot topics and crazy madness from these past few days. According to a new report from Transparency International, corruption in…
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Iceland: The Most Corrupt Nordic Country
Corruption in Iceland has been on the rise for at least the past six years, according to a new report from Transparency International. According to their Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Iceland ranked 13th place out of a possible 188 for corruption, making…
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Björk Speaks Out About Politics In Iceland
In an interview with Grapevine, the artist talks about her new album, corruption in Icelandic politics, misogyny, and more. Björk spoke very candidly about a variety of subjects apart from her new album, ‘Utopia’, some of which went beyond the songwriting process.…
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News In Brief: A Heart-Shaped Ferris Wheel, Tax Evaders & Doodies
We often talk about the insane amount of tourists who have been visiting our shores in the past few years, but it looks like tourists aren’t the only ones interested in coming to Iceland. The Directorate of Labour estimates that around 3,000…
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Court Fines Bankers Over 5 Billion For Fraud
Reykjavík District Court ordered former Milestone investment bankers to pay a 5.2 billion ISK fine yesterday and sentenced them to prison for breach of trust, distorting financial statements and cooking the books, reports RÚV. Brothers Karl and Steingrímur Wernersson, who owned the…
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Icelanders To Hold Solidarity Protest With Romanians Today
A snap protest will be held in front of the Icelandic parliament today in solidarity with the thousands of Romanians who have been protesting against government corruption in their own country over the past two weeks now. Gabriela Rădulescu, one of the…