OFF THE WIRE
Two Norwegian Hell’s Angels, including the group’s leader, are taking the Icelandic state to court in Reykjavik for having refused him entry to the country. One of them was arrested in Iceland yesterday on his way to court.
Hell’s Angels leader Leif Ivar Kristiansen’s case will come before the Reykjavik District Court today, according to the court schedule. A similar case is also being brought by another Hell’s Angel, Jan Anfinn Wahl.
Both men were stopped on arrival in Iceland last February, spent the night in police cells in Reykjanesbær and were sent back to Norway the following day. Morten Furuholmen, Kristiansen’s lawyer, accompanied him on his trip; but he was allowed into the country, Vísir.is reports.
The decision not to allow the pair into Iceland was taken by the Directorate of Immigration. They unsuccessfully appealed the decision to the then-Ministry of Justice (now a part of the Ministry of the Interior). Following that, they decided to take their cases against the Icelandic state to the Reykjavik District Court.
Jan Anfinn Wahl was arrested as he tried to enter Iceland for the case yesterday evening. His lawyer told RÚV it was a case of the Icelandic authorities attempting to stop his client giving evidence in his own court case.
In May this year Leif Ivar Kristiansen was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, according to Aftenposten. He was sentenced for drugs violations and robbery; but protested his innocence throughout. He will therefore not be present in Reykjavík.
It is assumed the Norwegian court’s decision will not directly affect the Icelandic case, because it came over a year after the disputed border control decision was made.
Read more: http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/11/28/norway-hells-angels-leader-in-court-case-against-iceland/#ixzz1f10OSdBE
