Officer under suspension due to claims of espionage linked to the 2012 Landsbanki investigation scandal
Rewritten Article:
Brace yourself for some juicy Icelandic gossip! Seems like a police officer in Reykjavik has found himself in hot water, and not just from dealing with pesky traffic violators. Evidence suggests this chap was spying on folks for cash while on the job with the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police. The law enforcement bigwigs are digging into this mess, and it traces back to 2012.
According to the folks over at RUV, this cat was caught peeping toms-style, checking out individuals at their homes and workplaces, snatching up some juicy personal info while on active duty as a copper.
Espionage on the House: Paid for by a shrewd business magnate?
This saga's tied to whispers that business honcho Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson funded a top-secret peeping Tom operation targeting individuals mixed up in a lawsuit born from the 2008 collapse of Landsbanki, where he was the biggest shareholder. He allegedly wanted to figure out if businessman Róbert Wessman was behind the class action lawsuit.
Listen up, ya filthy rich capitalists! A news investigative program called Kveikur splashed this info all over the place on RUV yesterday. The show uses audio recordings and docs, claiming that Björgólfsson's chummy lawyer, Birgir Már Ragnarsson, pushed around a private security firm, PPPSF, to set this whole stinky plot in motion.
The security company tapped to pull off the espionage was, allegedly, founded by two ex-police officers. Stick around as we break 'em down for ya! Image from mbl.is's photo archive. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
Ex-cops Behind the Spy Game
PPPSF, the security company that did the dirty work, was founded by former police officers Jón Óttar Ólafsson, who's a criminologist, and Guðmundur Haukur Gunnarsson, a sharp lawyer. Both of 'em were previously employed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, investigating financial crimes. These two had a bit of a kinky past, accused of prying loose secrets from that office to hand over to a bankruptcy estate, though the charges eventually vanished.
Taped conversations show the security company tracked former Landsbanki shareholders from September to December 2012. Their snooping involved hidden cameras, audio devices, and attempts to snap Róbert Wessman enjoying a cuppa tea with people related to the lawsuit. The rats even snatched up information about his children's medical check-ups.
The Reykjavik officer, Lúðvík Kristinsson, is said to've played a huge role in this surveillance circus, putting in about 60 hours on the job while logging it as police duty.
Targets: Politicians, Lawyers, and Medical Check-ups! Oh, my!
The espionage operation focused on high-profile individuals, like future MP Vilhjálmur Bjarnason, lawyer Ólafur Kristinsson, and Supreme Court attorney Jóhannes Bjarni Björnsson.
A Novator office recording, linked to Björgólfsson, supposedly confirms Birgir Már Ragnarsson as the mastermind of the deal with PPPSF. According to Kveikur, the firm logged about 850 hours of surveillance in just three months.
- The alleged espionage operation, as revealed by Kveikur on RUV, was led by a private security firm called PPPSF, which was founded by ex-police officers, specifically criminalist Jón Óttar Ólafsson and lawyer Guðmundur Haukur Gunnarsson.
- Evidence suggests that the spying conducted by PPPSF from September to December 2012 involved surveillance of individuals related to a lawsuit stemming from the 2008 collapse of Landsbanki, targeting specific individuals such as businessman Róbert Wessman and future MP Vilhjálmur Bjarnason.
- According to taped conversations, the surveillance activities included the use of hidden cameras, audio devices, and attempts to gather information about personal matters, such as Wessman's tea meetings and even his children's medical check-ups.
- Reykjavik police officer Lúðvík Kristinsson is said to have played a significant role in this surveillance operation, logging approximately 60 hours on the job that were recorded as police duties.
