Finance Minister Says Flight Was Delayed

Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson says his flight back to Iceland was delayed, but the truth of the matter may show a different story.

Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson, who has been implicated in the massive Panama Papers leak showing many prominent Icelanders and their current or previous connections to offshore companies, is reportedly in Florida, and told reporters that his flight was delayed. For this reason, he said, he will therefore not be able to attend parliament today.

However, a closer look at the matter indicates a different story.

As reported in the wake of last August’s Ashley Madison hack, where Bjarni had an account, it came to light that his father has a legal residence in Bradenton, Florida. The closest airport to Bradenton, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, re-opened flights last Saturday. In fact, a look at their departures shows that all flights out of the airport are leaving as scheduled.

The Grapevine repeatedly tried to contact the Finance Minister’s assistant, Teitur Björn Einarsson, for comment, to no avail.