Former Samherji chief to challenge judge’s suitability

Former Samherji CEO Þorsteinn Már Baldvinsson says he will seek to challenge the suitability of Reykjavik District Court chief judge Jóhannes Rúnar Jóhannsson, who ruled that the Central Bank of Iceland was not liable for damages over its retention of Baldvinsson’s personal data, mbl.is reported.

Baldvinsson says the judge’s extensive past work with the bank’s lawyer, Steinar Þór Guðgeirsson, raises serious questions about his fitness to hear the case. In a statement sent to mbl.is, he also criticised the ruling, saying it conflicts with a 2022 decision by the Data Protection Authority that the bank had never sought to overturn.

Jóhannes Rúnar and Guðgeirsson worked together for years on Kaupthing’s winding-up committee after the 2008 banking collapse. Guðgeirsson chaired the committee and Jóhannes Rúnar was a member. They also served together on the board of Kaupskil ehf., where Guðgeirsson was chairman, and both took part in Arion Bank’s interim board.

Baldvinsson said the two men had not merely worked together casually, but had held significant positions of responsibility in the financial sector over an extended period. He also referred to past criticism of the winding-up committees’ work and the high payments they received. Then-economy and business minister Árni Páll Árnason had criticised an arrangement that, Baldvinsson said, allowed people to set their own pay and working conditions for years without adequate oversight.

He said past professional ties do not automatically make a judge disqualified, but argued that the closeness and extent of the relationship in this case inevitably raised questions. He said he would pursue the matter through the courts or another competent authority.

Under Iceland’s Civil Procedure Act, a judge may be disqualified if circumstances could reasonably cast doubt on their impartiality. The provision does not require proof of actual bias. If Jóhannes Rúnar is found to have been eligible to hear the case and the ruling stands, Baldvinsson may appeal.