On 8 December, it became known that the National Security Authority (NSM) has entered into a loan agreement of NOK 200 million with the John Fredriksen-controlled company Norwegian Property. It has previously been assumed that the loan is in breach of the Constitution, because the state can only use money that has been decided by the Storting. The loan agreement led to the resignation of NSM director Sofie Nystrøm. Shortly afterwards, the government set up a committee led by former central bank governor Svein Ingvar Gjedrem to scrutinize the use of money. On Friday afternoon, the committee will deliver the investigation to the Ministry of Justice. The costs ran rampant The loan of 200 million was taken out “for financing special adaptations in the building”. This is shown by e-mails between NSM and the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness that news has been given access to. On 16 November, NSM confirmed that NOK 110.6 million of the 200 million had been used. But an overview of the costs shows that NSM has spent NOK 199.8 million – ie NOK 90 million more than what NSM initially stated. The majority of that loan went to electrical work – a total of NOK 68.3 million for the new premises. NSM used the rest of the money as follows: Building adaptations cost NOK 31.9 million. Plumbing and ventilation cost NOK 4.7 and 18.5 million, respectively. In addition, 36.4 million went to “other costs”, including architectural work, consultancy and office furniture. Photo: NSM
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Presents report after NSM investigation – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
