Iceland's PM Isn't Ready to Talk About the Panama Papers, Okay?
It’s barely been 24 hours since the first Panama Papers reports hit, and things are already getting fun. Assuming you’re not Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, that is. Because judging by the way Gunnlaugsson stormed out of an interview with a Swedish news station, he’s got a few, uh... calls to make.
During the course of the interview, which was published by The Guardian, a reporter asks the Prime Minister about Wintris Inc. According to documents in the unprecedented leak, Gunnlaugsson created the company in 2007, but later sold half of it to his wife the day before he would have had to declare the business as a conflict of interest for a total of $1.
In the video, the reporter asks Gunnlaugsson if Wintris is, in fact, his company. He stutters a bit, demurs, claims that he “doesn’t know how these things work,” and then makes a run for it.
“You sold the company for $1,” the reporter says.
“No, no, no, no. You are asking me nonsense,” Gunnlaugsson responds as he sweats profusely. He then remarks that “something is being made suspicious that isn’t suspicious.” (Don’t let me tell you how to run Iceland, Prime Minister Gunnlaugsson, but fleeing an interview may not be the best way to stymie suspicion.)
Earlier today, the Prime Minister told Iceland’s parliament that he would not be resigning despite protests throughout the country.