– Where are we now in the indictment, said Besseberg’s lawyer Christan B. Hjort in a provoked voice, in the middle of the testimony of the Russian doping whistleblower Grigorij Rodtschenkov. There, both doping and bribery by the Norwegian became a topic. Besseberg is accused in the indictment of having accepted bribes in the form of prostitutes, watches and hunting trips from Russian biathlete peaks. He pleads not guilty to the charge of gross corruption. In court on Tuesday, Besseberg’s lawyers strongly disliked the questions from Økokrim to the Russian witness. Finally, the lawyer intervened. Then the former head of the anti-doping laboratory in Moscow had said that in 2011 Russian biathlon was going to step up the doping program and that key people were therefore discussing how to “approach” Besseberg. But Hjort received an answer to the indictment. Anders Besseberg has here received the gift of the watch in the indictment of the Russian biathlete director Sergej Kushchenko (in the back center) during the WC in 2011. Photo: NordicFocus Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland in Økokrim, on the other hand, believed that the questions were now about the indictment about the Omega watch worth NOK 195,000, which Besseberg received from the Russian biathlon champion Sergei Kushchenko in 2011. – That is not what you are asking. You have another project going on, said Hjort. – No. I don’t have a project going on, answered Djupesland. The war of words continued The sharp tone continued even after Russian Rodchenkov’s testimony, which was audio-recorded from a secret location in the USA, was over. – We do not see that certificate as relevant, says Toft Gimse to news. Then Rodchenkov had, among other things, explained what was going on around Russian biathlon peaks. Toft Gimse points out that the claim Rodtschenkov has made about a possible monetary bribe from the Norwegian has been investigated. He emphasizes that this is not something that Økokrim chose to include in the indictment against Besseberg either. Mikkel Toft Gimse, one of Besseberg’s two defenders in Buskerud District Court. Photo: NTB – Did you feel the prosecution did not stick to the charges? – It is the case that even if the court is only to deal with points in the indictment, there is a limit to how many matters and accusations Anders Besseberg can have against him without us being able to rebut, says Toft Gimse. He points out that they have also prepared the defense in light of the charge of gross corruption. – But when there are other and new allegations, we have to consider whether we should bring new evidence to counter these. That is why we intervene before Rodchenkov makes allegations, which are not part of the trial, says Toft Gimse. Prosecutor Marianne Djupesland disagrees that Rodtschenkov was irrelevant. – We think it is relevant, because it can shed light on the motivation behind the influence. That is perhaps the most interesting thing about his diploma, says Djupesland to news. – He confirms that he has no specific information about whether Besseberg has received bribes. There was nothing he could shed light on other than through indirect information, says Djupesland to news. She believes that Rodchenkov illuminates why it was interesting for Russians to try to influence Besseberg. And to what extent bribery was the method. Rodchenkov lives in hiding in the United States and has appeared in interviews with a mask after he fled Russia. In court, he made allegations against Anders Besseberg (right) Photo: news/Shutterstock – Of course there were bribes During his testimony, Rodchenkov spoke about how Russian leaders ordered the cheating, which was to take place before the Sochi Olympics in 2014. He told about the escalation of doping in biathlon. Among other things, he claimed that the Russian biathlete director Sergei Kushchenko, who is central to the indictment against Besseberg, gave him money to buy doping preparations in the years before the Sochi Olympics. – Of course there were bribes, said Rodchenkov about what was going on around Russian biathlon summits before the Sochi Olympics. The Russian became world famous for having exposed the methods behind the extensive doping cheat at the Sochi Olympics in 2014. He himself met Besseberg on two occasions, but he says he never communicated with him. But he perceived that the Norwegian president of the International Biathlon Union was the subject several times among Russian biathletes. Rodchenkov himself did not have first-hand information that bribery was taking place by Besseberg. His information about what was going on came from other key figures in Russian biathlon. The Russian also told a story in detail, which has been one of the reasons why the lawyers have reacted to Rodchenkov testifying in the case. The talk about money payment Rodchenkov claimed he witnessed a meeting in 2013, where the two Russian sports stars Aleksander Kravtsov and Aleksander Tikhonov spoke quite openly about a pure money bribe from Besseberg. – It was hot. I stopped by Kravtsov’s office. The door was open, said Rodchenkov. He saw that Tikhonov was also there. This is the former Russian biathlete president who has become a recurring theme in the trial. – They could see that I was coming. Kravtsov didn’t like me talking to others. So he got me in and I was put opposite Tikhonov, Rodchenkov said. Grigorij Rodchenkov during an interview with news in 2018. He wore a mask and sunglasses to hide his appearance. On Tuesday, he testified in the trial against Besseberg, but it only happened by audio. Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby He remembers how Tikhonov spoke about Besseberg in the meeting and that the tone did not change even if he entered the room. When he came in, it was about whether Besseberg had done something or not done what they wanted. – Tikhonov was angry. He clenched his fist, Rodchenkov said, and said that Tikhonov said, among other things, “How could he do that. I held him so close” – He received everything that was promised, said Rodchenkov that Tikhonov then exclaimed. According to Rodtschenkov, there was talk of how much the Russians had paid Besseberg, whether it was 200,000 or 300,000 dollars. – At this point, my interest was at its peak. They talked about things that had been given to Besseberg. I know things in general were given to him, says Rodchenkov. He remembers that “Bes” was referred to several times in the conversation. However, he did not have information about whether this was money, which was actually given to Besseberg. Finally, Besseberg rounded off the court day by commenting on the story. He reacted strongly to several things Rodchenkov told about, including doping and alleged bribes. – I have not received a krone, ruble or dollar from any Russian, said Besseberg.
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