“I never went out into the streets, so to speak.” This is, among other things, how Besseberg first explained himself during a police interview in April 2018 about prostitution charges. Besseberg “admitted to the police that he received services from prostitutes in connection with Russian government officials,” says the investigation report, which was commissioned by the International Biathlon Union. Content from police interviews became part of this report. This particular questioning became a topic in court on Friday. In court, Besseberg’s interrogation with the police in April 2018 was reviewed. Bessebergs is charged with gross corruption. He pleads not guilty. Prosecution decision against Anders Besseberg The state prosecutors at Økokrim put Herved Anders Besseberg (…) under prosecution at the Buskerud district court for violation of: for the period up to 01.10.2015: the Criminal Code (1902) § 276 b first paragraph, cf. second paragraph, cf. § 276 a first paragraph letter a for himself or others to have demanded, received or accepted an offer of undue advantage on the occasion of a position, office or assignment, including abroad. The corruption is considered to be serious otherwise because it is committed by breach of the special trust that accompanies his position or assignment and because it has provided significant financial benefit, and for the period after 01.10.2015: Criminal Code (2005) § 388, cf. § 387 first paragraph letter a, cf. second paragraph for having for himself or others demanded, received or accepted an offer of an undue advantage on the occasion of the exercise of a position, office or the performance of an assignment. Position, position or assignment also means position, position or assignment abroad. Corruption is serious because particular emphasis is placed on the fact that the act has been committed in breach of the special trust that comes with his position, office or assignment, and because it has resulted in significant financial benefit. Basis: While Besseberg resided in Vestfossen in Norway and in connection with his position as president of The International Biathlon Union (IBU), he demanded, accepted or received the following benefits in the period 2009 – 2018: Once in 2011, probably in connection with board meeting no. 100 of the IBU in March 2011 in Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia, he received an Omega watch (colour copper/black) from an official in Russian biathlon. The value of the watch was approximately NOK 195,000. Sometime probably in April 2013, and prior to the Winter Olympics in Sochi in Russia in 2014, he accepted an offer for a prostitute who was procured for him from an official in Russian biathlon. This probably happened in connection with a biathlon show race in Moscow. Sometime probably in 2013, and during a biathlon event in Russia, he received a Hublot watch from a Russian official in the Ugra region. The watch was worth approximately NOK 70,000. In April 2013, in connection with a trip to Tyumen in Russia, he was ordered by Russian government officials to stay and go on a hunting and fishing trip at a hunting resort, where he was taken by helicopter. During the stay, moose, wild boar and deer were hunted. In 2014, at the end of the Biathlon World Cup in Holmenkollen in Norway, he received a Ulysses Nardin watch (colour: black with leather strap) from an official in Russian biathlon. The value of the watch was approximately NOK 78,000. In October 2015, he was charged with a hunting trip to Tyumen by an official in Tyumen, Russia. Besseberg also received a free trophy after killing a maral deer. In the period 2015 to 2018, Besseberg on several occasions accepted offers of prostitutes organized and offered to him by government officials connected to Russian biathlon. The association with a woman over several days and nights was arranged for him by such persons on at least two occasions, i.e. probably in March 2016 in Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia in connection with an IBU World Cup event, and in March 2018 in Tyumen in Russia in connection with the IBU World Cup finale. In March 2018, on the occasion of a stay in Tyumen in Russia, Besseberg was entrusted by Russian government officials with a hunting and fishing trip with accommodation and hospitality at a hunting resort in Russia. During the trip, Besseberg hunted maral deer and wild boar. In the period 2009 – 2018, Besseberg had a standing agreement to participate in hunting trips with the owner and general manager of the company APF Marketing Services GmbH (hereinafter “APF”), who was later a consultant for Infront Austria GmbH (hereinafter “Infront”) and a member of Infront’s advisory body. Hunting stays and hunting trophies were free for Besseberg and were paid for by the person concerned, his company or by Infront. The hunt took place regularly one to three times per year. years in Austria and/or the Czech Republic on exclusive hunting grounds. Usually, Besseberg also received trophies from the animals he felled. During this period, APF and later Infront had agreements with the IBU on marketing and sponsorship rights for IBU biathlon events or were in negotiations with the IBU on such agreements, which Besseberg approved/signed in his capacity as president of the IBU. In the period 2011 – 2018 at his place of residence in Norway, Besseberg privately disposed of a car of the type BMW X5 for which Infront covered the leasing costs. The value of this was approx. NOK 850,000. The benefits are considered inappropriate, and the violation is considered serious, especially because of the value, because there was a lack of transparency about the benefits he received, because by accepting the benefits, Besseberg broke the trust that accompanied his position in the IBU, because he acted contrary to the IBU guidelines and because by virtue of his role in the IBU he had the opportunity to influence decisions of importance for Russian biathlon and for APF/Infront. Allegation of confiscation, cf. Penal Code §§ 67 and 69, cf. § 75, is reserved for dismissal. Read out the contents The prosecutor also pointed out that there had been no comments until after Besseberg had had the opportunity to read through the interrogations. But in new interrogations in 2021, almost three years later, he would change several errors from the first interrogation. He then regretted that he had not brought a defense lawyer with him during the first questioning. The prosecutor first asked during the questioning in court whether Besseberg has made use of prostitutes. – I have no other comment on this than what I said in my free explanation, Besseberg replied. There he explained, among other things, why he wanted to correct several mistakes from the first interview. He has previously said that he had hardly slept before this interrogation with the police, after the police action against him. The prosecutor then read out what Besseberg had explained in questioning earlier. There he has provided information which he later wished to correct. Anders Besseberg in April 2018 after the interview with the police. – Have you accepted the services of prostitutes in general and especially in the recent past? – It has probably happened. I hope that such things do not get out to my family, Besseberg is quoted as saying in the interview. – Were these services received also in connection with Russian leaders or functions, it is stated in the interrogation. – It could probably … If you say managers in general, then it may have happened. I’ve never gone out on the streets, so to speak. – When was the last time you accepted services from prostitutes in connection with Russian officials? – I think so … now I have to think about it. In any case, it was a few years ago, Besseberg answered in the questioning. Besseberg pointed out during the questioning that he wanted to be honest and wanted to answer what he was asked about in the questioning. He later wished to correct the statements in this interrogation. Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland in Økokrim. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB Wanting to get rid of questions Besseberg repeated on the court day on Friday why he believes the statement in the interrogation was wrong. He pointed out that he had been fox hunting the night before, and had slept for a maximum of two hours, when the police knocked on the door of the farm on 10 April 2018. – I was horrified by the charge that was read to me. Eventually, during the interrogation, I became terribly annoyed with the Austrian interrogator. I saw this as irrelevant to the charges I was facing. I just wanted to get it over with, so I answered very inaccurately, says Besseberg. – I just wanted to get rid of this type of question, says Besseberg. As an introduction to the grilling about the prostitution accusations, Besseberg was asked about a photo from the news case “The hunt for the president”, which was published on 28 December, in which Jacob Lund believed that someone in the traveling party on a hunting trip was a prostitute. Besseberg could not clarify that in court. This image The news case The hunt for the president became the subject of the court on Friday. The traveling party on board the helicopter that transported them to and from the hunting trip. From the left, among others, Viktor Mamatov, Aleksander Tikhonov, Anders Besseberg next to the young woman Lund believes was a prostitute, who was with the traveling party on the helicopter trip out to the base camp for the hunting trip. In front on the right what Lund remembers was the mayor of Khanty-Mansijsk. Bessberg does not know whether the woman was a prostitute, he explained in court. Photo: Jacob Lund’s photo archive Asked to be released He asked several times not to answer more questions about what he considered private in court. – I have nothing more to add since I consider it very personal, said Bessberg, who asked the judge not to answer more such questions. One of the charges concerns that he accepted an offer of a prostitute who was procured for him by a government official in Russian biathlon, probably in connection with show racing in Moscow. There he made a confession during police interrogation. But he rejected that accusation earlier this week. Goods and services from Russians are central to the indictment. Here Besseberg is with director Sergej Kushchenko in the Russian Federation in 2011. Then he received a watch worth NOK 195,000 from the man behind him in the picture. Photo: NordicFocus He told in his explanation what he now thought was the correct version. That he was in his hotel room in Moscow when there was a knock on the door. – Outside there was a younger, normally dressed woman who I let into the room, because I thought she came from the organizing committee with information and a schedule about the next day, Besseberg explained about an incident in 2013. Besseberg says he let the woman in and left back under the covers. He further explains that he tried to speak to the woman in both English and German, but that he perceived that she only answered in Russian. – I said in English that I had to sleep, said Besseberg during his explanation. The woman then allegedly shook her head, said something in Russian and left the room. – I received no sexual favors from this woman, who was perhaps in my room for barely 2-3 minutes, Besseberg concluded his free explanation. Asked to be released He was told by the judge in the case that he can refrain from answering, but that the prosecutor was fully entitled to ask questions. – Is it the case that you occasionally use prostitutes, asked the prosecutor in court. – I don’t answer such questions, said Besseberg. Incidents in countries other than Russia were also recorded, which was also information that Besseberg brought to questioning.
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