Iceland’s prime minister has walked out of an interview with Swedish television after he was asked about his connection to an offshore company.
Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson accused the SVT journalists of asking “inappropriate” questions before ending the interview.
In the video above, published by the Guardian, the reporter mentions an offshore company called Wintris, which Gunnlaugsson allegedly created in 2007 along with his wife.
Gunnlaugsson was linked to the company after a massive leak of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
When asked about Wintris, Gunnlaugsson looks startled and struggles to mutter a response before leaving the room.
The Mossack Fonseca documents show Gunnlaugsson and his wife purchased the company in 2007 to invest millions from the sale of a family business back in Iceland.
Gunnlaugsson did not declare his 50% stake in the company when entering parliament in 2009.
He sold his interest to his wife for $1 (70p) on Dec. 31, 2009 — the day before a new legislation would have required him to declare the ownership of Wintris as a conflict of interest. He became prime minister of Iceland in 2013 as leader of the Progressive party.
As prime minister, he was involved in reaching a deal for the banks’ claimants following a financial crash that crippled the island.
As reports about his financial matters surfaced, Gunnlaugsson faced a huge backlash back home, The Associated Press reported.
Former Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir called for Gunnlaugsson’s resignation, as did Birgitta Jonsdottir, the popular head of the Pirate Party.
Iceland’s prime minister storms out of TV interview over Panama Papers
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Source: Mashable