Pandora Papers: No Icelandic Politicians, But 8 Icelandic Owners, Reportedly Within

The Pandora Papers leak, a massive dataset revealing a complex, global finance system that enables the world’s richest and most powerful to hide their wealth from scrutiny, is still being combed through by journalists the world over. Brought to light thanks to investigations by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the Icelandic partners in this investigation are Stundin and Reykjavík Media.

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While more detailed information is still pending, what we know right now is that no Icelandic politicians appear in the Pandora Papers. Not that this would be unheard of if they were, as the Panama Papers revealed in 2016 the involvement of then-Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and numerous other Icelandic politicians, even down to the municipal level.

It bears mentioning that this does not mean that other wealth or powerful Icelanders, such as musicians or entrepreneurs, are not in the Pandora Papers.

That said, the dataset overview does show that there are eight companies in the leak that are tied to owners in Iceland. Who these companies and these owners are, and more, will reportedly be revealed by Stundin come Friday.

While there are no Icelandic politicians directly implicated in the Pandora Papers, there is still the possibility that one or more may be linked to any of these company owners. If this turns out to be the case, it may have some influence on the government coalition talks, depending who, if anyone, appears to be linked.