Icelandic judges will make decision on 'flawed' charges next week
The judges in the upcoming trial of Baugur boss Jón Ásegir Jóhannesson will rule on whether he will have to face all, some or any of the the charges brought against him next week.

A special court session was held in Rejkavik yesterday after judges ruled last week that they wanted to review the charges because they believed aspects of the case could be 'flawed', with as many as 18 of the 40 charges apparently in doubt. They will announce their decision on Tuesday, in a judgement that could weaken or even scupper the prosecution case.

At yesterday's hearing the defendant's counsel called the indictment 'sloppy' and claimed that the only possible move was to dismiss either the flawed charges or the entire case.

The possible flaws, indicated by the judge, relate to breach of trust, embezzlement and violations of the commercial code.

Jón Snorrason, prosecutor and head of the Economic Crime Division of the Office of the National Commissioner of Police, was quizzed for over an hour. However, Jóhannesson, who has pleaded his innocence from the beginning, was not asked any questions at the hearing.

The judges will now decide whether the full indictment will be approved, if individual charges will be dismissed or if the entire case will be dismissed. The decision will be announced on Tuesday, September 20 and can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Iceland.

A spokesperson for Jóhannesson told Retail Week that it appeared the judges wanted to give both proescution and defence the opportunity to 'express themselves', but warned that even if the case is thrown out the prosecution is likely to appeal, making a swift conclusion unlikely.