„No, I had no idea,“ Bjarni Bene­dikts­son, Iceland’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs said when asked whether he had been aware of his father purchasing a share in the bank Íslands­banki.

On Wednesday it was revealed which companies, indi­vi­du­als and associations had bought shares in the 22,5% stake in Íslands­banki previously owned by the Icelandic govern­ment.

The long list of investors was publ­is­hed by Stundin. It was soon noted and then widely criticized that Benedikt Sveins­son, the Minister of Finance’s father, had bought a share for ISK 55 million through his company, Haf­silfur ehf.

Bjarni was asked about his father’s business venture in the morn­ing show at Bylgjan radio station yester­day. He claimed that he wanted everyt­hing on the table and that he him­self had only just seen the list of investors the previous day.

Bjarni denied hav­ing been privy to his father’s invest­ment and claimed that for his own sake it would have been better had he not bought a share.

„I will not deny that it would have been more convenient for me, in many ways,“ said Bjarni.

This article was previously written in Icelandic by Katrín Heiða Guð­jóns­dóttir.