Sigur Ròs Acquitted On Tax Fraud Charges

Eva Vermandel

Sigur Ròs Acquitted On Tax Fraud Charges

Eva Vermandel

In 2019, after a three-year investigation, Icelandic authorities charged all the members of Sigur Ròs with tax fraud, claiming that the band had submitted incorrect tax returns, evading paying 151 million Icelandic Krona, which amounts to $1.2 million dollars. (The band blamed their accountant.) The band members were cleared of charges later that year, but then a second Icelandic court hit the band members with similar charges. Now, RUV reports that the members of Sigur Ròs have been acquitted.

All three current members of Sigur Ròs were facing those charges, as was drummer Orri Páll Dýrason, who left the group in 2018 after being accused of sexual assault. During the trial, the band members assets — including bank accounts, houses, and vehicles — were frozen. Last year, frontman Jónsi told The Guardian, “We have spent years promoting the country; now they’re treating us like criminals.”

Now, RUV reports that the court found that Sigur Ròs, if convicted, would be victims of double jeopardy, a practice that’s been banned in Iceland. They’ve been cleared of all charges once again, and the court costs — 56 million Krona, or about $463,000 — will be paid by Iceland’s State Treasury.

In vaguely related news, Jónsi did the score for Without Remorse, the new Tom Clancy movie on Amazon with Michael B. Jordan. That’s pretty weird!

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