Court bars relatives from submitting health director’s report in homicide case
Tuesday 10th November 2026 on 13:02 in
Iceland
Iceland’s Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling barring relatives of a woman from submitting the Director of Health’s opinion and other documents in a criminal case against cardiologist Skúli Tómas Gunnlaugsson, mbl.is reported. The relatives wanted to use the documents to support their compensation claims.
They may, however, submit two letters sent by one of the relatives to the Director of Health as part of a complaint about the woman’s treatment. The Court of Appeal upheld a ruling by Reykjanes District Court on November 6.
Gunnlaugsson is charged with homicide and violating legislation on health professionals, or, alternatively, negligent homicide and the same alleged breach. The case was brought by the district prosecutor on March 30.
Five relatives, including the woman’s surviving spouse and children, are seeking compensation. Each is claiming five million krónur in non-pecuniary damages and 177,000 krónur for funeral costs, as well as interest and legal costs.
The disputed documents included a Director of Health opinion from February 2021, a summary of its findings, two expert assessments obtained by the director and Gunnlaugsson’s response to one of them. He objected to all seven documents, citing a legal provision that bars reports on the Director of Health’s investigations into individual cases from being used as evidence in criminal proceedings. The provision also restricts the use of information provided to the office by health professionals.
The relatives argued that the restriction should not apply because the documents had reached police before the provision took effect on September 1, 2024. The district court ruled that it did apply because the criminal case was brought after that date. It said the provision was intended to protect confidentiality in communications with the Director of Health and defendants’ right not to incriminate themselves, regardless of when the documents were created.
The courts also said it made no difference whether the documents were submitted by prosecutors or by the relatives seeking compensation. The rulings concern only the admissibility of evidence and do not decide Gunnlaugsson’s guilt or the compensation claims.