Former football international testifies in Dettifoss case

Three witnesses testified before Reykjavík District Court on Friday over the prosecution’s request to seize property belonging to Sævar Hilmarsson, a defendant in the Dettifoss case, mbl.is reported. One witness was a well-known former national team footballer who had given Sævar a Louis Vuitton bag.

The prosecution has requested the seizure of four Louis Vuitton bags, identified as Truck, Keepall, Kasai and Josh, along with two Louis Vuitton replicas, a Rolex watch and several motorcycles.

The witnesses gave evidence by video link. The first, one of Sævar’s best friends, testified about the Rolex watch. He said he had been present when Sævar collected it in Amsterdam and had contacted Sævar’s defence lawyer to confirm that he had travelled abroad with him when the watch was purchased.

The former national team player and professional footballer testified about a Louis Vuitton bag found at Sævar’s home. He said he had given Sævar the bag about three years ago.

Asked why he had given Sævar such a bag, the footballer said he was “a very generous man” and had acquired various items over the years after playing football in several countries abroad.

“These are all things I buy abroad,” he said, adding that he believed the bags had been purchased before 2020.

He described the bag as a relatively small, hard-sided case that he believed was a women’s handbag. He said he had bought many similar bags for his former wife.

The final witness testified about a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle that had been seized. He said he did not have a motorcycle licence and described the Kawasaki Ninja as something of a troublesome machine.

“They call this bike the Widowmaker,” he said, claiming that, proportionally, no motorcycle model had killed more people than the one in question.

“For an enthusiast like Sævar, it was completely exciting,” he said.

The witness described Sævar as a good friend and “a good man”, adding that people should not judge a book by its cover. He appeared unconvinced that the motorcycle had much relevance to the case.

“Is there anything else we need to discuss about this motorcycle business?” he asked.