– This is a matter we take very seriously, says Birgitte Budal Løvlund to news. She is the state prosecutor in Rogaland, and has taken out the indictment for the case, which will go to the Agder district court at the end of February. – This is a serious matter. The charges include rape, sexual exploitation of persons under the age of 18, abuse of position, and breach of a restraining order, she says. Fædrelandsvennen mentioned the indictment first. The indictment comes after several years of investigation. The six victims came to the country as lone minor asylum seekers around 2015, and have had the one defendant as their guardian. Verja is said to have used this relationship to pressure the boys into sexual intercourse, or to let her husband have access to them, according to the indictment. The one count of rape alone carries a penalty of up to 15 years. Overall, the sentencing may be even higher, according to State Attorney Løvlund. In the past, Verja has held public political positions in his home municipality, in addition to positions where he has had responsibility for children and minors. Difficult for the offended Public prosecutor Eirik Glad Balchen tells news that the process has been difficult for the six offended boys. Eirik Glad Balchen is the legal representative for the six young men. Photo: Kari Jeppestøl Arntsen / news He thinks it is both good and bad for them that the indictment has finally been drawn up. – It is difficult to prepare, at the same time as it is good that an end is approaching or to take a step forward, says Balchen to news. He believes the case is particularly serious because it involves the exploitation of underage asylum seekers. – There is a vulnerable group of people who have been exposed to this. The legal aid attorney says they are now considering how much they should demand in restitution per victim. He must also decide whether it may be appropriate to make a claim to cover financial losses. Defended 17 people State prosecutor Birgitte Budal Løvlund says that the police have, among other things, investigated whether it could be human trafficking, but this was dropped due to the state of the evidence. In addition, they have gone wide and investigated all 17 persons for whom one defendant has been a guardian, she states. Six of these have now been named as victims in the indictment. It is the public prosecutor in Rogaland who prepared the indictment because the first public prosecutor in Agder has declared himself incompetent. He has previously been our defender in the same case. Supposed to have denied criminal guilt Verja is accused of one rape, while his husband is accused of three rapes. According to Fædrelandsvennen, the latter has denied criminal liability so far. Kristoffer Wibe Koch defends the one defendant in the case. Photo: Mona Hauglid His defense attorney, Kristoffer Wibe Koch, tells news that he must make a number of clarifications with the client before he makes a statement, also on the issue of criminal liability on the many counts for which he is charged. Ole Joakim Devold is defending the other defendant. He has not yet responded to news, but tells Fædrelandsvennen that he notices that it has been almost four years since the men were arrested the first time. Several sentenced for exploitation It is not the first time that single minor asylum seekers have been exposed for exploitation by Norwegians. In 2019, former fisheries minister and county governor Svein Ludvigsen was sentenced to five years in prison for abusing his position and having sexual relations with three young men. Recently, a 37-year-old woman was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for having a child with an underage asylum seeker for whom she was responsible.
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Married couple indicted for sexual assault against six young asylum seekers – news Vestland
