MP Resigns Over Attempt To Purchase Prostitution

Guðbrandur Einarsson, an MP for Viðreisn (the Reform Party), has resigned from Parliament due to an attempted purchase of prostitution in 2012, reports Vísir. He was questioned by police at the time but says he was never charged. He decided to step down after Vísir planned to report on the case.

Police summoned Guðbrandur for questioning at the Hverfisgata police station in 2012 on the basis of reasonable suspicion of purchasing sexual services. In a written statement sent to Vísir late last night, after a reporter asked him about the matter, Guðbrandur said he had contacted a woman with the intention of buying sexual services. However, he says he changed his mind upon arriving at the location, which, according to sources familiar with the case, was an apartment building in the capital area.

Guðbrandur told Vísir on Wednesday that he denied the accusation during police questioning, left the police station, and never heard anything further about the case. “These were serious mistakes that I deeply regret, especially toward my family and friends, but also toward my colleagues in Viðreisn and in Parliament. I fully understand the seriousness of this matter and will need to focus on my family in the coming days, and therefore will not comment further,” Guðbrandur said in his statement to Vísir, adding, “Complete trust and calm must surround the important work of the government, and that also applies to its MPs. I have therefore decided to resign from Parliament with immediate effect and have informed the party leadership of this.”

Guðbrandur said police had no evidence that he had committed any offence. He left the police station and never heard from the authorities again. He said he did not seek further information about the outcome of the case because he did not give it much thought at the time.

However, he did not deny that he had, at some point in his life, sought to purchase prostitution. He said he had never been convicted of any offence and has a clean criminal record. He added that the police questioning at the time nevertheless had an impact on him.

The purchase of prostitution was criminalised in Iceland in 2009. Following the change in the law, the issue received greater attention from police, and the number of cases increased significantly. Between 2012 and 2014, police investigated nearly 200 such cases, almost as many as between 2015 and 2022 combined, according to data from the National Commissioner of the Police.