The district court thought it was corruption. The Court of Appeal ruled that it was a lawful friendly service. The case starts on Thursday in Norway’s Supreme Court, the Supreme Court. – I am surprised that Økokrim appealed the verdict from the Court of Appeal, says Rune Breili to NRK. Ecocrime, on the other hand, believes that it was completely natural to appeal the case. They believe the Court of Appeal misinterpreted the law. This is what the case is about: – Pure friend service The question is whether Harald Svendsen accepted the drawings as a friend or public servant. Both Breili and Svendsen have always said that they were just friends who helped each other. Breili believes he has not received any benefits from having done a service for Svendsen. – What I helped him with I did not consider as corruption, but as a pure friendship service. And he has helped me in the same way as my friend services. Ecocrime, on the other hand, does not agree with this. They believe that Svendsen’s position in the municipality means that this was corruption. Harald Svendsen does not want to comment on the case. Breili has his theory about why Økokrim appealed. – There is a lot of prestige in it. It rejects Ecocrime. – From our side, this case now only applies to important legal issues, including whether and possibly what significance friendships have for the scope of the corruption provision, says public prosecutor Henrik Horn in Økokrim. Breili at his architectural office in the center of Tønsberg. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / NRK – Several employees have left Breili say the case has had major consequences. When NRK met him in Tønsberg earlier this week, there were several vacant chairs in the office landscape. He says that employees have left as a result of a lot of negative focus from the media. – This has now been going on for five years, and it has been a great burden. The case can now be sent back to the Court of Appeal, and then we are not done. – Your company, then? – I do not know if it can go well. Many people may not have dared to use me as an architect due to negative media attention. But a lot of customers also come back, says Breili. – Are you ready for another round in court? – I have to be ready for it. I have to keep fighting. There is nothing else we can do. Investigating possible illegalities in the beach zone While the case is being processed in the court system, Færder municipality is working to clean up after what is described as one of Norway’s biggest construction scandals. The so-called Tjøme case was rolled up in 2017 and is about possible errors and illegalities in the beach zone. The municipality has over 500 cases on the table. These are piers, terraces, stalls and cabins that may be illegal or too large. Some have already been demolished, and in some places cottage owners risk having to demolish what is illegal or apply again. In several of the cases being investigated, Rune Breili has been the architect. He thinks he has done nothing wrong. – I continue to draw in the same way. I see no reason to change anything. We’ve done it right from the start, and I’ve been doing it for a long time. After all, I have been drawing in the beach zone for 30 years, says Breili. According to Færder municipality, they have found what they refer to as errors in almost all of the cases they are currently investigating. The severity varies. The cabins on Tjøme have for many years been among the most expensive in the country, according to Statistics Norway. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / NRK Aerial photo
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– There has been a great load – NRK Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
