Sigur Rós Cleared of Tax Evasion Again
The members of Sigur Rós have been cleared of tax evasion, Icelandic newspaper Fréttablaðið reports and Pitchfork can confirm. Reykjavík, Iceland’s District Prosecutor had issued the indictment against Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson and Georg “Goggi” Hólm, as well as former members Kjartan “Kjarri” Sveinsson and Orri Páll Dýrason, this past March. The charges were dismissed “on ‘double jeopardy’ rules,” the band’s management said in a statement.
“The band had already agreed to pay all outstanding historical taxes and fines to the revenue services, but were being separately pursued by the Icelandic District Attorney for further fines and sentencing relating to the same period,” according to management. Find the full statement below.
Sigur Rós were accused of evading 151 million Icelandic Krona ($1.2 million) in taxes from 2011 to 2014. The band members had been investigated for years and previously cleared on charges of tax evasion from the federal government. The band had previously claimed the incorrect tax filings were due to an accountant’s error.
Sigur Rós’ management:
The Reykjavík District Court has dismissed criminal proceedings against the members of Sigur Rós for tax avoidance on “double jeopardy” rules. The band had already agreed to pay all outstanding historical taxes and fines to the revenue services, but were being separately pursued by the Icelandic District Attorney for further fines and sentencing relating to the same period. The band have always strenuously denied any intention or wrongdoing related to the case.
The defence’s successful move on Oct 4 to have the charges dismissed hinged upon recent European Court of Human Rights rulings on “ne bis in idem” (literally “not the same thing twice”) grounds, whereby a defendant cannot be punished more than once for the same offence. The judgement is seen as potentially precedent-setting for the Icelandic courts, with the most widely-read newspaper Fréttablaðið calling for a change in the law to comply with the ECHR Convention on Human Rights. The band’s defence counsel, Bjarnfreður Ólafsson has described the existing legislation as ‘outdated, costly and unjust.”
Although the prosecution have appealed to take the matter before the Icelandic High Court later this year, the District Court’s decision has been heartily welcomed by the band.
“This is great news. We know it’s not over yet, but the ruling is very reassuring,” the band said on the day of the verdict.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
