The embezzlement is discussed in a new report from the Party Audit Committee, which controls the financing of the political parties in Norway. The case was reported to the police at the end of 2021. Police prosecutor Eva-Linn Sondresen Høyte confirms that a man has been charged with gross embezzlement. The police believe that a significant amount was used for personal purposes. According to the report, the party has stated that their former treasurer embezzled around NOK 1 million. The case is proposed to be scheduled as a confession case in the district court. Lawyer Tollef Skobba is defending the accused man. Photo: Helena Rønning / news Has acknowledged that news has been in contact with the resigned treasurer. He does not wish to comment on the matter. But he has acknowledged the actual relationship, says the man’s defender Tollef Skobba. – He has been waiting for the case to be decided. He is very sorry for what has happened, says the lawyer. Excluded The situation has been desperate, according to the head of Rødt Vestfold and Telemark, Maren Njøs Kurdøl. – We have had to spend time cleaning this up, and lost a lot of money that we would have liked to spend on political activity. Leader Maren Njøs Kurdøl says there were several people in Rødt Vestfold and Telemark who discovered that money had disappeared from the county team’s account. Photo: Rødt She says the embezzlement was reported as soon as it was discovered. – A unanimous county board also chose to exclude the person from the party. The person is no longer a member of Rødt. According to Kurdøl, the county team has subsequently received financial help from Rødt central. She doesn’t know if the money is gone for good. – I sincerely hope that it is possible to get them back, but time will tell. – Leit Tobias Drevland Lund, parliamentary representative for Rødt in Telemark, thinks the case is sad. – This is a sad matter for the county team and our members, he says to news. Tobias Drevland Lund (R), parliamentary representative. Photo: Mette Ballovara / news He makes no secret of the fact that the embezzlement has affected the economy. – It has been more difficult to find room for action to engage in political activity, which we are most concerned with in Rødt. – Can such an incident affect voters’ trust in the party? – First of all, this is not about Red as a party. It is about what an individual has done by virtue of holding office, where that person has had access to the party’s resources and money. This is primarily a tragic story, says Drevland Lund. Has changed routines According to the party audit committee, the quality of the internal control varied in the parties that were examined, when they looked more closely at the financial year 2021. The committee believes that the embezzlement at Rødt Vestfold and Telemark could have been avoided. Kurdøl says that they have changed their routines to prevent something similar from happening again. According to the report, all payments from the county team’s account must now be approved by two people.
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Rødt treasurer charged with embezzlement of millions – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
