It hit like a bomb before the weekend that NSM had taken up what Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) herself states is an illegal loan of NOK 200 million. But even before the case broke, the Conservative Party asked critical questions about the use of money in the justice field. – This year there has not been good cost control. The government has spent more money than the Storting has allocated on several parts of the justice field, says Høyre’s justice policy spokesperson Sveinung Stensland to news. CRITICAL: Right-wing justice policy spokesperson Sveinung Stensland. Photo: Jonas Kroken Sævereide / news Already in a letter to the ministry sent on 28 November, he asked several critical questions about the extra allocations that the government is asking for in the so-called new balancing of the 2023 budget. – It is actually not good to spend more money than you have been allocated. There is talk of over NOK 1 billion now, just in the justice field, he says. The case in summary Sofie Nystrøm, director of the National Insurance Agency (NSM), has resigned due to an illegal loan agreement of NOK 200 million. The loan is a breach of current laws and regulations, including key points in the budget and financial regulations. Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) confirms that serious mistakes have been made and that the government is now working with the Ministry of Defense to survey the matter. Law professor Mads Andenæs at the University of Oslo expresses shock at the case and believes it is a matter for Økokrim. The loan was taken out in connection with NSM’s move to new premises in Fornebu, with unfavorable terms such as an interest rate of 10 per cent. The government has initiated a review of the loan agreement and the circumstances surrounding it, and has instructed NSM to stop all payments to the loan agreement. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Demands an answer In the letter from November, Stensland refers to the Storting’s appropriations regulations. Among other things, it states that budget increases throughout the year must be due to expenses that are unforeseen, necessary and cannot be covered by grants that have already been granted. – There is a startling amount of money that needs to be put on the table to clean up, and then we now get an even more spectacular case, and it does indicate that the financial management is so-so, says Stensland. – What does the Minister of Justice have to answer for in this context? – She has to explain why she comes to the Storting and asks for more money, and why she asked for too little in the first place. Like SV, Høyre is prepared to pay out an extra 200 million to repay the NSM loan. – We have to pay for ourselves. And this is an illegal loan, and a very expensive loan. We probably have very bad loan terms. So for us it is natural to clean it up, he says. The threat picture The Ministry of Justice has sent a written response to news’s question about the use of money and cost control under the leadership of Minister Emilie Enger Mehl: “The additional allocation is mainly due to an increased level of activity as a result of an increased level of threat, the security policy situation and price growth. In the same way that the defense will also receive 900 million in the new balance. The ministry further writes that it expects subordinate agencies to comply with the budget frameworks provided by the Storting. And further: “The Ministry of Justice is constantly working to improve cost control for underlying agencies.” 840 million In the proposal for the new budget for this year, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) asked for an extra 734 million for the police and 106 million more for the Police Security Service (PST). Thus, the budget gap in the justice sector was expected to be NOK 840 million, even before the NSM case burst with a new NOK 200 million that must be obtained from the state treasury. – We will take the bill for 2023. Large, unforeseen expenses have been incurred due to inflation and necessary IT investments, and it has been a demanding time for many in the police, Mehl said in an interview with NTB in November. She pointed out that 2023 has been a demanding year for the police, with large arrivals of refugees and several major demonstrations. In addition, several government members have traveled to visit conflict zones, which has caused PST substantial additional expenses for securing government officials.
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NSM loan gives Mehl billions of dollars – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
