After a 26-year battle against the legal system, the cousin of Birgitte Tengs will today meet the Minister of Justice for the first time. In 1998, the cousin was acquitted of the murder of Birgitte Tengs in the Gulating Court of Appeal, but still sentenced to pay her parents NOK 100,000 in compensation. The verdict thus branded the cousin as a murderer, even though the jury acquitted him. The cousin has had this stamp since the verdict came, fighting to get rid of it. Wants compensation The family does not want others to have to be exposed to the same thing as the cousin, and they demand compensation for the strain the Norwegian state has put on them. – I hope that the Minister of Justice clears things up, so that we don’t have to go through new rounds of court. It benefits our family, says Jakob, the cousin’s father. news met the cousin of Birgitte Tengs in 2012. He wants to remain anonymous. Photo: Zbigniew Czaplicki / news After countless court rounds throughout the 2000s, the Agder Court of Appeal annulled the compensation verdict in November 2022. In an exclusive interview with news, the cousin said at the time: “This has destroyed a large family and also caused me enormous damage. I will never get the last 25 years back, but I hope at least this sentence will bring about changes that will ensure that something like this can never happen again”. The case is seen as one of the worst judicial murders in Norwegian history, and in October the cousin received an apology from the Attorney General, the director of police and the then head of investigations in Kripos. From Haugesund courthouse when Birgitte Teng’s cousin testified in the trial against Johny Vassbakk in December 2022. Illustration: Hege Vatnaland Hoping for a solution At 1pm today, Jakob and lawyer Arvid Sjødin will meet Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl in Oslo. His son joins the meeting via video from Spain. Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl will meet the cousin and his representatives on Thursday 2 March at 2 p.m. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news The hope is to find an amicable solution to the question of compensation for all the injustice that has been done to the cousin and his family over the past 26 years. – We have been disappointed so many times over the years, that it is naive to have blind faith that this will be sorted out now. But we hope, says the cousin’s father. Two court decisions have gone the cousin’s way in recent months. The Agder Court of Appeal annulled the compensation verdict, and then the Haugaland and Sunnhordland district court on Monday 6 February sentenced Johny Vassbakk to 17 years in prison for the murder of Birgitte Tengs. In the latest judgment, it is stated, among other things, that the cousin was subjected to inhumane treatment and psychological torture during interrogation, which led to him making a false confession. – It’s now or never. I have a big problem with seeing what is in the way of cleaning up, says Jakob. Spokesperson for justice policy in Høgre, Sveinung Stensland, believes that the Minister of Justice must offer the cousin a solid compensation. Justice policy spokesperson for the Upper House in the Storting, Sveinung Stensland, believes a solid compensation must be offered to the cousin as soon as possible. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news – As the compensation judgment against the cousin was canceled in the autumn, there is no reason for the ministry to wait. Everyone is keen that this case be concluded as soon as possible, says the Høgre politician. Wants to prevent judicial murder One of the explanations for why it has been difficult to get the compensation judgment overturned is that the Disputes Act has an absolute deadline of ten years to have such cases taken up again. In order to have the sentence against the cousin overturned, the Agder Court of Appeal had to use the European Convention on Human Rights in the autumn to review the deadline. Both the Government and the Supreme Court are working to amend the Disputes Act, so that it is still possible to have a judgment that is manifestly wrong be overturned, even after the ten-year deadline has expired. In Høgre, the work has come so far that the party has asked the Ministry of Justice for legal technical assistance. – The aim is to prevent more judicial murders, as the cousin experienced, says Stensland. Høgre has come up with two proposals for how the text of the law can be amended, and asked the Ministry of Justice to come up with alternative proposals that ensure the purpose of the amendment. Working on the case In October 2022, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl stated that she would look at the legislation that led to the cousin being both acquitted and sentenced to compensation for the murder. news has asked the Ministry of Justice questions about the status of this work. – The ministry is in the process of sorting out the possibility of changes to the rules on reopening civil claims that are part of a criminal case where a verdict has been passed. Such legislative work must be thorough and sound, and cannot be rushed through, says State Secretary Hans-Petter Aasen (Sp) in the Ministry of Justice. The ministry is working on the case, says State Secretary Hans-Petter Aasen (Sp). Photo: Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness A bill must also be submitted for consultation before it can possibly be presented to the Storting. – Any changes to the law must apply in general, and will be used for various specific cases, where both the supervision of the convicted person, the offended party and the bereaved must be taken into custody, says Aasen. The Ministry of Justice confirms that the meeting with the cousin will take place today.
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The cousin of Birgitte Tengs meets the Minister of Justice today – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
