Dispute over alleged rent debt at centre of Reykholt case

A dispute over an alleged rent debt has been central to the Reykholt case, mbl.is reports. Several parties disagree over whether the debt existed and, if so, how much was owed. The alleged debt was cited as the trigger for an incident in which the victim is accused of being subjected to a serious assault, unlawful coercion and deprivation of liberty.

Giving evidence in court on Thursday, the victim said he had paid his rent either in cash or by bank transfer and had always kept up with his payments. He reacted angrily when the landlord’s defence lawyer repeatedly questioned him about the alleged debt.

Sigurður Gunnar Ásgeirsson, who had been the man’s landlord for four years when the incident occurred, told the court that he and Andri had calculated the tenant owed him 550,000 Icelandic krónur in rent.

According to Sigurður, the alleged debt had three components. The man had often paid 50,000 krónur in monthly rent instead of the 75,000 krónur specified in the rental agreement. He had also not paid rent during the seven-week periods when he worked in the slaughter season in Húsavík, which happened three times, and had failed to pay rent for several other months.

The alleged rent debt was given as the reason why three or four people forced their way into the victim’s home on Friday, April 19, 2024. They are accused of subsequently subjecting him to an especially dangerous and serious assault, depriving him of his freedom and forcing him to hand over money.

One of the defendants, Ingunn Rut Sigurðardóttir, admitted her involvement in the case on Wednesday morning and said she deeply regretted it.

“It is obvious that this matter, which was supposed to be about a rent debt, got out of control and became something that nobody could handle, least of all me,” she said in a police statement.

Questioned by Sigurður’s defence lawyer about why he had paid only 50,000 krónur a month when the rental agreement specified 75,000 krónur, the victim said this had been Sigurður’s decision.

He said he had signed a rental agreement stating that the rent was 75,000 krónur a month so that he could receive housing benefits. From the beginning, however, it had been understood that he would pay only 50,000 krónur in rent.

The defence lawyer objected strongly to this explanation, particularly to the victim’s receipt of housing benefits, and questioned him repeatedly. The victim eventually responded: “What kind of questions are these?”

“You can check Sigurður’s bankbook and his account number to see that I paid my rent,” he said. He later stated that he had been required to repay some of the housing benefits he received.

The Reykholt case dates back to April 2024, when a group of people attacked a foreign man of Palestinian origin who held Maltese citizenship at his home in Reykholt, in the Biskupstungur district.