– I am not a corrupt person and I did not know that he was a spy, said the accused 53-year-old in his explanation. The police’s security service believes the 53-year-old has handed over information to a Russian intelligence officer in exchange for money. They feared that, among other things, he would hand over information about gas pipes to Russia. To prevent this, PST intervened in a dinner the man had with the Russian. The trial against the 53-year-old began on Tuesday. The man denies criminal guilt. He claims he thought the Russian’s job was to get companies from Russia to cooperate with Norway. In court, the defendant complained about the situation to friends and family. – I’m tired of all this mess. I have been prejudged by the media and perhaps also by PST, says the 53-year-old. Shared information on memory sticks The man charged with corruption was working at DNV, formerly known as Det Norske Veritas, when he was arrested. According to PST, he must have had between 14 and 15 meetings with the Russian. The indictment states that the Norwegian should have received between NOK 40,000 and 50,000 from the Russian man he met in the restaurant. The accused 53-year-old admits to having received money, but said in court that he earned so well that he had no need for the money. – I am neither the police nor a lawyer who asks critical questions, says the man, who explained in court that he thought he met a Russian consultant. The parties agree that most of what the defendant gave the Russian was open information that was not sensitive. The information was provided on memory sticks. The emotional 53-year-old further explained that he met the Russian for the first time at a technology conference in Fornebu in March 2018, where the defendant had given a lecture. – He contacted me. I gave him my card. Then I got an email back that he would like to meet me, says the 53-year-old in court. PST must have become aware of the defendant on 16 June 2020, in connection with a meeting between him and the Russian at a restaurant on Grünerløkka in Oslo. All the meetings between the defendant and the Russian are said to have taken place in restaurants, where the defendant was the recipient of dinners. In court, the 53-year-old told that he was happy that PST should have filmed the meeting at the pizza restaurant in Oslo in August 2020. – I stand by everything I said then. I wish PST had also filmed all the other meetings. He eventually became very emotional when he talked about how happy he is in Norway and Norwegians, and how well he has been received in Norway. – Norway and India are like my father and mother. I could not harm national interests. My intention has always been to help companies. The man the Norwegian met worked at the Russian embassy in Oslo. PST believes he was employed by the Russian foreign intelligence service. Photo: Tomm W. Christiansen / news Dropped espionage charge PST believes the Russian the accused man met was employed by the foreign intelligence service while he was employed at the embassy in Oslo in 2020. The prosecution believes the Norwegian-Indian has shared information about technology used, among other things, in oil and the gas sector. At the same time, State Attorney Carl Fredrik Fari points out that the information that was shared could not damage fundamental national interests. The accused Norwegian was originally charged with espionage, but this charge was dropped. The man was instead charged and prosecuted for gross corruption. Four days have been set aside for the trial in Oslo district court. The maximum penalty for gross corruption is six years in prison.
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– I am not a corrupt person – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
