Bjarni Benediktsson, who has been serving as Iceland's Minister of Finance since 2013 and briefly held the position of Prime Minister in 2017, tendered his resignation on Tuesday. His decision came in the wake of an opinion issued by Parliamentary Ombudsman Skúli Magnússon on Benediktsson's approval of a 22.5% share sale in Íslandsbanki. The opinion was published just 11 minutes prior to Benediktsson's press conference.
Magnússon pointed out a lack of information in the documents related to the sale process, which involved two tenders in 2021 and 2022. He underscored that this absence of details about adherence to administrative law rules on special eligibility risked public trust and contradicted Alþingi's objectives.
The critique over Benediktsson's role in the auction of Íslandsbanki shares became more pronounced following the revelation that Hafsilfur ehf., owned by his father, Benedikt Sveinsson, was one of the purchasers. This raised questions about transparency in the aftermath of Iceland's banking collapse in 2008.
Benediktsson maintained that he only became aware of Hafsilfur's involvement after the auction when he saw a buyer list from the State Financial Supervisory Authority. No evidence has emerged to contradict his claim.
Despite expressing disagreement with Magnússon's opinion and asserting his clear conscience, Benediktsson respected the Ombudsman's stance. He discussed his resignation with both the Prime Minister and his Independence Party, although he did not step down as the party's chair.
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