Ministries under fire for Glasir building scandal

Despite recent efforts to stabilise financial control of public building projects, there is still plenty of room for improvement. 

This is the main message of an investigation into the troubled Glasir building project, commissioned by the Parliament’s Audit Committee.

All parties involved in the project have neglected their duties, according to the report.

Financial turmoil all around

Road and tunnel authority Landsverk, which headed the project, has failed to overlook the financial aspects of the project, which has resulted in “unsatisfactory” information flow between all parties involved.

The Ministry of Transport, which had the political responsibility for the project, has not done enough to control Landsverk’s handling of finances. And the Ministry of Culture, which commissioned the project, has also been too passive in its efforts to ensure the project was on budget.

Lessons learned

The Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister have neglected their duties in terms of outlining the responsibilities of each ministry and institution involved, according to the report, which was presented to the Parliament’s Audit Committee on Friday.

MP Jónleif Johannesen, who heads the audit committee, says the report should teach everyone involved a lesson, and he has vowed that the committee will now put in extra effort to make sure that public building projects will be properly controlled in the future.

Glasir, located in Marknagil, Tórshavn, is the largest on-land construction project in the country’s history.

Translated by prosa.fo