Faroese court to rule on defence lawyer’s impartiality in major tax fraud case

The Faroese Court of Appeals will determine whether defence lawyer Christian Andreasen can continue representing Janus Petersen, the former bank director accused of large-scale tax fraud totalling 2.2 million Danish kroner, Kringvarp Føroya reports.

Prosecutors have raised concerns over Andreasen’s impartiality, arguing he may have acted as Petersen’s tax advisor in relation to two companies—Frama and Frama Bygging—central to the fraud allegations. Chief prosecutor Katrin Thorsvig Hansen stated that doubts about Andreasen’s role only emerged during the trial, prompting the court to review his suitability.

Andreasen has denied any conflict of interest, insisting his involvement with Petersen’s companies was limited to drafting standard contracts for a real estate agent and did not constitute tax advice. He called the challenge to his role “unprecedented” and warned that replacing him at this late stage would unfairly delay proceedings.

Petersen, who faces charges of concealing taxable income and falsifying invoices to evade 885,000 kroner in taxes, has repeatedly affirmed his trust in Andreasen as his chosen defence lawyer.

The court will issue its ruling within a week, with a two-judge panel presided over by Judge Rannvá Ragnarsdóttir.