Just in case... The incredibly corrupted Icelandic environment

Eva Joly is back in Iceland today. A few things for her to consider:

1) Don‘t trust anyone in Iceland. Even the people you are working for. We are all too interconnected. Everyone has an agenda. Be open for sources that don‘t want to go through the filter around you. Set up a simple website and an email account abroad, on a foreign server and invite Icelanders to send you email. Have a foreigner you trust go through the email.

2) The judicial system is probably unequipped to deal with the magnitude of what you are dealing with. Icelandic lawyers and judges have always known they don‘t get very far in life without connections in the political arena and the business world. It starts in law school and they are all tainted somehow. An objective court could only be formed with foreigners. So be prepared for a disappointment at the courts, even if the cases built by the special prosecutor‘s office are rock solid.

3) Speak often and speak loudly. Make our plight known to the world. The government isn‘t doing it, the opposition is unable to, and there is a lot of spin out there. Regular comments or opinion columns in the world‘s media can move mountains, because under the veil of silence people are desperately trying to get things back to the way they were.

4) A regular update to the Icelandic people would be of great help because people need anything right now to convince them that things are being investigated. The feeling in Iceland is one of despair as it looks like the people most responsible for the economic crash are going to be the first ones to get back on their feet.

5) You are in for the long haul as you probably know. You have a lot on your plate and we respect that and are grateful you are here. Involve others of similar pedigree as yourself from abroad. Make the information you gather accessible to them, so that it is in safe hands if things go from bad to worse and the door slams in your face (say if the Progressive Party or Independence Party get back the reins). The UK’s SFO involvement is a great step.