Steep ministry bill for lost case
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, former Minister for Home Affairs. Photo: Golli
The Icelandic Ministry of Home Affairs spent ISK 3.2 million (approx. €22,000) on media and legal consultancy fees for a legal case which saw the Minister resign and her political advisor convicted for breach of confidentiality.
The ‘leak affair’
In November 2013, a memorandum containing confidential information on a Nigerian asylum-seeker was leaked from the Icelandic Ministry of Home Affairs. After a protracted investigation and repeated protestations of innocence, the Minister’s political advisor confessed to the leak and was convicted and the Minister herself, Hanna Birna Kristjándóttir, resigned.
Media and legal services
The consultancy services purchased related to: (a) the media’s coverage of the case and whether such coverage gave grounds for a libel suit; and (b) the legal status of suspects and witnesses during the investigation.
The total bill for these services was ISK 3.2 million (approx. €22,000). Roughly three-quarters of this amount went on media-consultancy services, and the remaining quarter on legal advice.
