Sigmundur Davíð Says He Has Been Hacked And Followed

Former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson says he has had his computer broken into, and has been followed by creditors of the fallen banks. This he disclosed at a meeting of the Progressive Party Central Committee, but doubts have arisen about the veracity of these claims.

Kjarninn reports that Sigmundur told attendees of the meeting that many attempts had been made to hack into his computer, saying, “I know that my computer was broken into.” He said that he let a representative of security for the administration examine his computer, who reportedly saw indications that hacking attempts had been made. As a result, Sigmundur said that he created a special file that not even his closest advisors had access to.

Hacking a politician’s computer is considered a very serious crime by Icelandic law, but Vísir reports police never received any notice that this crime had taken place. In fact, the management team in charge of security at the Prime Minister’s office told Kjarninn that while Sigmundur did request his computer inspected in April 2016, they found no signs that his machine had been hacked, nor that a hack had been attempted.

In addition, Sigmundur also contended that on several occasions during trips overseas, creditors of Iceland’s foreign banks attempted to reach him personally. This included invitations to meet with these creditors in private, in the hopes of being able to resolve individual banking issues. Sigmundur’s assistant Jóhannes Þór Skúlason told Kjarninn that he has witnessed some of these attempts to reach him.

The Progressives are currently holding primaries around the country, and numerous members of that party have indicated they intend to run against Sigmundur, who is the chair of the party at the moment.