Minister denies asking Landsvirkjun chief to skip meeting

Iceland’s finance minister, Daði Már Kristófersson, denies asking Landsvirkjun’s then-chief executive, Hörður Arnarson, to stay away from a meeting in January. He says two separate meetings have been confused, mbl.is reports.

Daði met the board of Landsvirkjun, a state-owned company, on January 6 without Hörður present. Documents held by the Ministry of Finance show that the dispute between Landsvirkjun and Landsnet was among the topics discussed.

A meeting with Daði, Hörður and Landsvirkjun chair Brynja Baldursdóttir and deputy chair Berglind Ásgeirsdóttir had initially been planned for January 7, but it did not take place.

In a letter to Daði dated October 26, Hörður said he was told on December 23 that the ministry, at the finance minister’s request, wanted to change the planned meeting. According to Hörður, the proposed change would have excluded him, brought the full board to the meeting instead and altered its agenda.

Daði rejected that account, saying the January 6 meeting was a general discussion of governance attended by company boards. He said Landsvirkjun had separately requested a meeting with its board and chief executive, but there had not been time to arrange it and the request was not followed up.

Asked why Hörður was absent from the January 6 meeting despite the discussion of the dispute with Landsnet, Daði said the meeting was about governance and the role of boards, not specifically Landsvirkjun’s operations. Ministry documents nevertheless show that the dispute was discussed.