Former Minister Misappropriated Public Funds

Former Minister of Commerce, Björgvin G. Sigurðsson, who served between 2007-2009 has misappropriated hundreds of thousands of ISK while serving as the head of Ásahreppur municipality, reports Vísir.

Björgvin resigned before the weekend but the circumstances behind his resignation have only now been made public in an interview with Egill Sigurðsson, a representative of Ásahreppur municipality.

Egill revealed in his interview with Fréttablaðið that Björgvin had used the municipality’s credit card for personal expenses, starting off with minor charges in October that eventually escalated in size until the discrepancies were noticed.

Björgvin was hired as the head of Ásahreppur municipality last July. Prior to that Björgvin served as the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee of Education and General Affairs on behalf of the Social Democratic Alliance.

Björgvin was owed half a month’s wage and some leave which will be exchanged for debts paid. Egill believes the matter will be settled in the coming months.