Økokrim will not answer questions about whether they secretly have the opportunity to charge Sindre Finnes with possible insider trading in the Nordic Mining share. Today, 3 October, it is ten years since Finnes traded the shares in the company. At midnight, the case becomes obsolete. The question is whether Sindre Finnes knew what his wife Erna Solberg was going to present in the government platform in 2013. Governments normally present such platforms before the government cooperation starts. It binds the policy to be pursued in the coming years. Only days before Erna Solberg presented the government platform on 7 October 2013, Sindre Finnes bought 70,000 shares in Nordic Mining. In the platform, the government went in favor of a mine landfill, which means that Nordic Mining could release waste into the Førdefjorden. As soon as the platform was public, the Nordic Mining share rose sharply. Dagbladet has previously mentioned that Finnes may have earned over NOK 300,000 from the trade. But Solberg’s former closest advisors, such as PR top Sigbjørn Aanes, have claimed that the decision did not come as a surprise to the market. – Most people understood that with a Conservative Party government, that a positive decision was expected, said Aanes in the Debate on 19 September. news has investigated whether this claim is true. The process had been stopped In March 2013, the Stoltenberg government had stopped the process of the mine landfill. Government partner SV was critical of a mining landfill. During this period, there was a lack of money in Nordic Mining. In August 2013, the company had to carry out an issue. It happened until well below the share price. There was little trading in the stock during this period. The stock did not gain momentum until the day the Sundvolden platform was presented. FIGHT AGAINST LANDFILL: There have been many actions against landfill in Førdefjorden. Photo: Rune Fossum / news – It was very important for the mining industry. That it was in the government declaration was symbolic, says Lars Haltbrekken, who at the time was leader of the Nature Conservation Association. Haltbrekken, who now sits in the Storting for SV, was and is a staunch opponent of landfill in the fjords. NOT HEARD FROM ECOKRIM: Only the media have asked to see the shareholders’ book. That’s what Ivar Fossum, CEO of Nordic Mining, says. Photo: Aleksander Åsnes / news – The fact that the Solberg government included Nordic Mining in the government platform laid key guidelines for this industry, says Haltbrekken. Finnes has denied throughout that he has traded with inside information. Erna Solberg was not prime minister at the time the government platform was put forward. Nordic Mining: We were not surprised In autumn 2013 there were parliamentary elections, and the bourgeois parties Høyre, Frp, KrF and Venstre won a majority. The four parties started negotiations on a political platform. Venstre and KrF were involved in the negotiations for a long time. A clear demand from the Liberal Party was that the incoming Solberg government had to put its foot down for mining landfills in fjords. Today there are divided opinions about the content of the government platform affecting the share price of Nordic Mining. – We were not surprised that the Solberg government continued with the practice of mining landfills in its platform. We almost took that for granted. That’s what Ivar Fossum, CEO of Nordic Mining says to news. – A ban on landfill would have been sensational, continues Fossum. – Why did Nordic Mining’s share rise after the government platform became known, if it had no effect on the share price? – There may have been little trading in the stock at that time, then the results will be greater, says Fossum. Økokrim has not requested the shareholder book An overview of all share transactions can be found in Nordic Mining’s shareholder book. – Has Økokrim asked to see the shareholder book? – We have not received an inquiry from Økokrim, says Fossum. – Why can’t news see the shareholder book? – Our practice is not to provide insight into historical share transactions. Nordic Mining interprets this to mean that the right to access the shareholding register does not apply retroactively. Silence on charges Økokrim has said that they will decide during the autumn whether the Solberg case should be investigated. Ecocrime chief Pål Lønseth is currently tight-lipped in his comments just before the limitation period for the Nordic Mining trade expires: – We are of course aware of limitation periods. It is something we have in the back of our minds all the time, without me wanting to go into it further, writes Lønseth in an e-mail to news: SILENCE ON CHARGES: Ecocrime chief Pål Lønseth says Ecocrime will conclude during the autumn. Photo: Tore Linvollen Ecocrime chief Pål Lønseth answers BT.no about a possible charge in the case: – Ecocrime will assess during the autumn whether there are grounds for opening an investigation. We will notify the public of a decision when it is available. We have no further comments. The limitation period for an investigation can be postponed if a charge has been brought. Økokrim does not answer news’s question whether it might be relevant to charge Finnes, without informing the public.
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Økokrim has not called us – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
