Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson got completely trolled by public broadcaster Swedish Television (SVT), published Sunday, which shows him all but fleeing from questions about his connection to the Panama Papers.
Gunnlaugsson thought the interview — which took place before news of the Panama papers broke Sunday — would focus on how his administration had cracked down on tax havens and off shore accounts since the financial crisis in 2008. (RELATED: Icelandic Prime Minister had Financial Ties With The Same Bankers He Helped Imprison)
“In Iceland, we think it’s very important that people do the right thing,” he said in the interview. “When someone fools the rest of society, it’s serious.”
The interview then takes a complete U-turn for Gunnlaugsson when the reporter asks him about his own connections to tax havens.
“Myself? No. Well, the Icelandic companies I have worked with had connections with offshore companies, even the — what’s it called? The worker’s unions,” he responded. “So it would have been through such arrangements, but I have always given all of my assets and that of my family up for taxes. So there has never been any, any of me, my assets hidden anywhere.”
Gunnlaugsson is still unaware that the reporter had early access to the Panama Papers. When asked about a company called “Wintris,” Gunnlaugsson gets too uncomfortable to continue the interview.
“Well, It’s a company — if I recall correctly — which is associated with one of the companies that I was on the board of and it had an account, which as I’ve mentioned, has been on the tax account since it was established. So now I’m starting to feel a bit strange about these questions because it’s like you are accusing me of something when you are asking me about a company that has been on my tax return.”
He then walks out of the interview.
WATCH:
Since the publishing of the Panama Papers, demonstrations have broken out outside the Icelandic parliament in Reykjavik, and the people are demanding Gunnlaugsson’s resignation.
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