The authorities are now investigating how the Association for Children’s Palliation (FFB) has used the money they have received from the state. A total of 90 million to Andreas Hus over the past three years. Bindings, competence and supplier agreements are part of this, according to the Directorate of Health. news can now reveal that the association has spent around 990,000 public kroner on the “Advertising Station”, where Natasha Pedersen’s wife is the general manager. The wife also owns half the company. In 2020, the association bought services for around NOK 290,000 from the Advertising Agency, while in 2021 they had expenses of NOK 700,000. This is stated by the association following questions from news. In the same period, the association spent around 680,000 public kroner on sponsoring the Vipers handball team, according to new information. This was at the same time that Pedersen’s wife sat on the board of the handball team. The sign for Andreas Hus has been supplied by the Advertising Agency, where Natasha Pedersen’s wife is general manager and co-owner. Photo: John-Andre Samuelsen / news Investigates ties news recently revealed that the Norwegian Association for Children’s Palliative Care has spent large sums on, among other things, advertising, design furniture and PR consultants. A week after news’s revelations, the Norwegian Directorate of Health began an extended investigation of the association’s spending. They have hired auditors from the company PwC to review the association’s accounts. This only happens in special cases. Department director Elise Husum confirms that one of the things the hired experts will now investigate is ties between the association and suppliers. She does not wish to comment on news’s revelations while the investigation is still ongoing. In the past, the directorate has been critical of the association’s purchase of, among other things, handball advertising. Elise Husum is department director for grants in the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Photo: Directorate of Health Not allowed in public Andreas Hus was to become Norway’s first hospice for seriously ill and dying children. The opening was set for January, but the center is now being closed down following proposed cuts. On Tuesday this week, it nevertheless became clear that the association is considering applying for money so that they can open in the new year. Tor Dølvik is a special advisor at Transparency International Norway. Among other things, the organization works for greater transparency around the use of public funds. He believes it is objectionable if Natasha Pedersen herself decided that the association should buy services from his wife. Tor Dølvik is a special advisor at Transparency International Norway. He believes that the ties to Vipers and the Reklamestionen are potential conflicts of interest. Photo: Anders Fehn / news Dølvik emphasizes that he only knows about the case through the media. He therefore speaks on a general basis. – Within public administration, it is not permitted for a purchaser to participate in a decision to purchase services from their own spouse, says Dølvik. Pedersen tells news that his wife has never been involved in the agreements with Reklamestastenning or Vipers. – I understand how it can be perceived. She was not involved in the idea in any way, the actual agreement or the signing. I only told her about it after it had been signed, says Pedersen about the sponsorship funds for Vipers. Dølvik points out that such bindings will not be accepted in business either. He also believes that the same conflict of interest arises when the association sponsors Vipers. – It is common to have rules that prevent this type of conflict of interest. For example, in that the general secretary cannot in this case participate in a decision to sponsor a sports team where the spouse is a board member. Andreas Hus has its own logo at the bottom of the kits of the handball team Vipers, which is in the Champions League. Photo: SKJERMDUMP / VIPERS Think they are not subject to regulations The Norwegian Directorate of Health states that associations themselves must assess whether they are covered by the regulations on public procurement. The association for child palliation tells news that they believe they are not subject to these regulations, but that they have been aware of the binding. Dølvik questions why a private association that is largely financed by the public does not follow the same regulations. – When the requirements for competition, competence and verifiability are not followed, the risk of bad purchases, waste, trading with unscrupulous suppliers and corruption also increases. Professor emeritus, Jan Fridtjof Bernt, is an expert in administrative law. He is also critical of the bindings. – There is a clear expectation for those who receive money in this way that they do not enter into contractual relationships where problems of integrity arise. The directorate should also decide on that, says Bernt. Jan Fridtjof Bernt is professor emeritus and expert in administrative law. He is also a former rector at the University of Bergen. Photo: Kjetil Rydland/news – Has been the most affordable supplier Lisbeth Andersen, chairman of the Association for Children’s Palliation, says that the bond with Pedersen’s wife “requires extra awareness”. She emphasizes that the sponsorship agreement with Vipers has now ended. Natasha Pedersen tells news that the association has a long history of buying services from the Advertising Station, since 2009. – Long before I met my wife. They have been an active sponsor of FFB in all years, with free work, articles and profiling of cars, as well as various monetary gifts. Pedersen started the Association for Children’s Palliative Care (FFB) in 2009. Photo: JOHN-ANDRE SAMUELSEN / news Pedersen says that the advertising station has been the most affordable supplier, and that the boards of both companies have been well aware of the relationship. She emphasizes that they have also used other advertising companies in Southern Norway. – The advertising station has not been a preferred supplier, says Pedersen. news has been in contact with two other advertising companies who confirm that they have received smaller assignments from the association. news has also asked the association how much they have spent on these suppliers. They did not want to answer this. They point out that these are “individual items which individually do not create the right overall impression”. The one company news has spoken to states that the association has purchased services for just over NOK 100,000. Hi! Did you think of anything in particular when you read this story? Or do you have tips on something else we should write about? Feel free to send us an email!
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The association for child palliation bought services from the wife of Natasha Pedersen – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
