The land of fire and ice on which it is rumored some of the Game of Throne books are based, finds itself once again at the brink of scandal.
Prime Ministers have resigned in the past decade over things ranging from knowledge of the bank’s involvement in the financial crisis or the usage of offshore accounts.
This time is different. The current Prime Minister’s family has tried to get a pardon for a convicted pedophile.
Because of this news, the Bright Future party announced it was left with no other choice but to withdraw from the governing three-party coalition which had only been in in office for nine months. They stated as their reason for leaving a "serious breach of trust within the government".
The scandal involves Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson’s father, who had written a letter recommending a convicted pedophile should have his "honor restored".
Iceland’s legal system dates back to the 19th century and one of the old rules state that a convicted felon can have certain of his legal rights restored if three ‘respectable’ citizens of the country write a letter to the judicial instances.
However, given that it involved Mr Hjalti Sigurjón Hauksson who had been convicted of raping his stepdaughter almost every day for 12 years, the Icelandic public was not too impressed with the moral outlook of the father of their own Prime Minister.
At first, the government still tried to hide who had written the letter of recommendation, but after a revelation made by local journalist Hjortur Gudmundsson, the Icelandic government had to admit that the letter of recommendation had been written by Benedikt Sveinsson, Prime Minister Benediktsson's father.
The father of the Prime Minister offered his apologies after realizing the damage that he had brought upon his son’s career. He was interviewed by the Iceland Monitor: "I have never considered the restored honor as anything except a legal procedure making it possible for convicted criminals to regain some civil rights. I did not think of it as something that would justify Hjalti's position towards his victim. I told Hjalti to face his action and to repent. What was supposed to be a small gesture of good will towards a convicted criminal has instead turned into a continuation of the tragedy for the victim. For this I again apologize."
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