– Of course this is very serious, says Besseberg about the jewelery box episode which became the subject of the court on Thursday. In court, Besseberg told that he knew that the general secretary of the IBU, Nichole Resch, was attempted to be bribed by the Russian Aleksander Tikhonov in 2009. The background was that the powerful Russian biathlon elite wanted Resch to drop pursuing three Russian doping cases. – We sat and talked on the phone. I think they both shook their heads and commented on this. That this stupid man could do this, says Besseberg about the phone he had received from Resch. Prosecution decision against Anders Besseberg This is the prosecution decision in the Besseberg case. STATE ATTORNEYS IN ECOCRIMES for the period up to 01.10.2015: Criminal Code (1902) § 276 b first paragraph, cf. second paragraph, cf. § 276 a first paragraph letter a for themselves or others to have demanded, received or accepted an offer of inappropriate benefit on the occasion of a position, office or assignment, including also 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. Besseberg is charged with gross corruption, but pleads not guilty in the case against him. Among other things, benefits he is accused of having received from Russians are central to the case. – He brought me a jewelery box. I didn’t even open the jewelery box, says Besseberg about how he told Resch about the Russian bribery attempt. According to the police statement, she rejected Tikhonov’s attempted bribery. However, this incident never became an issue in the board, where Tikhonov was vice president. Resch explained that Besseberg did not follow up with consequences for Tikhonov. – In retrospect, I will regret, says Besseberg. Court signature of Besseberg in court. He did not want to be photographed. Photo: Ane Hem / NTB However, he pointed out that the general secretary did not mention that this had to be on the agenda as a board matter or that she would inform the board herself about the incident. – The Russians themselves were very well aware of Tikhonov’s pranks and how he behaved. In that sense, there was no reason to do this to ensure that he would not continue in the IBU, says Besseberg. “Not that I know of” This explanation led prosecutor Marianne Djupesland to show an interrogation with German police from March 2019. There, Besseberg was asked if he knew whether employees had been the target of bribery attempts from the Russian side. “Not that I know of” was the answer from Besseberg in the police interview. – When you get that type of question in questioning, you are not prepared to answer it, says Besseberg in court on Thursday when he had to explain why he had given this answer, despite his explanation in the court in Hokksund. – In retrospect, it is a matter I should be self-critical about, says Besseberg after being asked why he explains himself differently in court than in police interrogation. Because Resch had also pointed out to the German police in questioning the day before Besseberg gave her answer to the police, that the Norwegian had tried to calm her down on the phone. But she said the case was never taken further. – Had barely slept Earlier in the day, Besseberg told himself about another point he has changed since the first police interview. – Without using it as an excuse, I had been out fox hunting all night and slept for a couple of hours when Økokrim knocked on the door, says Besseberg in his explanation. There he told about how he reacted when the police came to the door on 10 April 2018. He was then taken in for questioning the day after the police actions. – I barely slept when I perceived the whole thing as a conspiracy, says Besseberg. Besseberg is accused of gross corruption in the trial against him. He pleads not guilty. Prostitution explanation in questioning He says that after the police operation he wondered who would be looking for him. He reacts to the interrogations with the Austrian police in Oslo. – The interrogations are marked by the fact that I had barely slept for two days, says Besseberg and continues: – I perceived the questions as completely beyond me. Hunting trips, watches, holiday trips, and received offers from prostitutes. There are several things I didn’t remember well enough and that probably bears the stamp of the interrogation, says Besseberg. He says he does not see the need to have a lawyer present. Because he thought the accusations were completely beyond the pale and easy to refute. “I never went out into the streets, so to speak.” This is, among other things, how Besseberg is said to have initially expressed himself during a police interrogation in April 2018. Besseberg “admitted to the police that he received services from prostitutes in connection with Russian government officials”, the investigation report, which was prepared on behalf of the International Biathlon Union, states. Content from police interviews became part of this report. In the trial against Besseberg, the prosecution accuses Besseberg of having accepted bribes in the form of prostitutes offered by Russians, exclusive watches and pre-paid hunting trips. There is also an allegation of a lease car paid for by a company that procured marketing deals. He believes that the interrogation with the police in April 2018 appeared to be one-track and was supposed to be about Russians. – I refer to a later questioning at Økokrim where I pointed out dissatisfaction and wanted changes, says Besseberg. Anders Besseberg during the WC in 2017. Photo: BARBARA GINDL / AFP Reacted to Janus description In court, he also reacted strongly to the code name of the investigation “Janus”. It is an ancient god with one head and many faces. – The prosecutor claimed that duplicity is suitable as a key word for this case, says Besseberg and turned to Marianne Djupesland in Økokrim at his side in the courtroom. – It is very hurtful and also unacceptable, says Besseberg. He believes he has been completely defenseless against allegations against him, including in the media. He calls them baseless and erroneous. – It has been a pre-judgment which apparently has no parallel in Norwegian legal history, says Besseberg. Accusations of enrichment Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland in Økokrim pointed out in the introductory lecture that in the indictment they show that Besseberg used this period to enrich himself for a continuous period of ten years. It happened in several ways, Djupesland points out in the introductory lecture. Among other things, this applied to: Facilitating his passionate interest in hunting Need for company with women whom Djupesland characterizes as prostitutes. Besseberg’s lawyer has contested that the accusations may relate to bribery over a continuous period, with an overall plan from the Russian side. – No, I do not admit criminal responsibility for the indictment, says Besseberg at the start of the trial.
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