The case in summary: The civil ombudsman criticizes the Norwegian Armed Forces for having imposed punitive measures on an officer twice in the same case. The first reaction was a verbal warning in 2021, while the second, tougher warning came after the case received media attention a year later. The civil ombudsman believes that it is not right for an employer to close a case, and then take it up again if nothing new has happened in the meantime. The officer says it is reassuring for him that the conclusion is clear and distinct. The whistleblower is disappointed. She hopes and expects that the Armed Forces will learn from this case, so that no one else will have to experience what she has gone through. The Norwegian Defense Forces have been presented with the criticism and say they will follow up on the Civil Ombudsman’s recommendations. The civil ombudsman has asked the Armed Forces to report on the follow-up to the criticism by 1 March. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The case about the officer who drove drunk, and then tried to pressure his subordinate Kristine Solhaug to lie about it, received a lot of attention when news published it in May last year. He was sentenced in the district court for the circumstances. Now the Civil Ombudsman is criticizing the Armed Forces as an employer for having imposed punitive measures on the officer twice. The first reaction came in 2021. It was a verbal warning. The second and more severe warning came after the case received media attention a year later. – It is not good for an employer to first close a case, and then take it up again if nothing new has happened in the meantime. They cannot then initiate new reactions. – That a case is discussed in the media is nothing new, says civil ombudsman Hanne Harlem. She emphasizes that the conditions in the notification case were every reason to criticize. Civil ombudsman Hanne Harlem. Photo: Kaspara Stoltze / news The chief of defense promised a new case The whistle-blowing case sparked debate and was used as an example of leaders in the defense doing reprehensible things, and then getting away with it. Defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen told news in May last year that he did not know the case about the officer, but based on news’s description, such a person should be reassigned or lose his security clearance. He also promised to go into the matter and look at it again. Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen has said after several revelations about whistleblowing cases in the Defense Forces that he would look at these cases again Photo: Martin Leigland Later in the autumn, news followed up the case about Kristine Solhaug. The officer had then received a written warning. – We have looked at that case again and the person concerned has been given a written warning after that review, Elisabeth Natvig told news. A written warning is the mildest form of reaction the Defense has, and Natvig explained the mild reaction as follows: – It has something to do with how the case has been handled since it first came in. When we go in and look at it again now, we see that the time that has passed has limited our room for action somewhat, Natvig said in September last year. Vice Admiral Elisabeth Natvig. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Expects a change in practice The civil ombudsman will not say which case applies. But Harlem confirms that it is a case that received media attention in the spring of 2022. The facts that emerge in the statement from the Civil Ombudsman are consistent with the case about the officer. The civil ombudsman took up this case after the officer complained about the case. – The defense ended the follow-up first. When there was media attention around the case again, they started it again. They carried out new reactions by suspending the person in question and they gave the person in question a new, written warning, says Harlem. The Civil Ombudsman now states that the Armed Forces had no occasion to do so. – We expect that the practice will not continue. The officer himself says that he is satisfied that the conclusion is clear. – The thorough and clear conclusion from the Civil Ombudsman is reassuring for me and for all employees’ legal security. When matters have been concluded and settled, you must be able to continue your working life without fear of new reprisals, says the major to news. The whistleblower reacts The whistleblower in the case, Kristine Solhaug, reacts to the Civil Ombudsman’s decision. – I found it reprehensible that those who have been re-notified do not acknowledge their mistakes, but continue to look for mistakes in others. Kristine Solhaug talked about unculture in the Armed Forces. The civil ombud emphasizes that their criticism is not about the content of the whistleblower case. Photo: Tormod Strand She is disappointed that the criticism from the Civil Ombudsman means that the Armed Forces could not reverse the treatment in the notification case – which she believes was wrong. – Now I hope and expect that the Armed Forces will learn from this. The burden I have had with this case and the aftermath due to treatment errors, I expect that no one else will have to go through in the future. The armed forces will follow up on the criticism The armed forces have been submitted to the criticism from the Civil Ombudsman. Spokesman for the Army, Brage Wiik-Hansen, says they will follow up on the Civil Ombudsman’s recommendations. – We will follow this up and learn from previous cases, as well as in future cases. He says that at this time the Army’s notification reception was not established, which it is today. – One of the core tasks of the whistleblowing reception is, among other things, to ensure that procedures for whistleblowing cases in the defense are followed up throughout the entire process of case management. The defense will take the Civil Ombudsman’s considerations into account in the work on this type of case going forward, says Wiik-Hanssen. Spokesman for the Army, Brage Wiik-Hansen Must answer by March Harlem in the Civil Ombudsman does not rule out that there may be more statements after notification cases in the Armed Forces. But she emphasizes that the criticism that is coming now applies to a single case. – What advice will the Civil Ombudsman give the Armed Forces as a result of the criticism? – The main advice is that employers must follow up their employees quickly and properly the first time. They have to think about for the first time what kind of reactions you want to give. Once it’s finished, you can’t change your mind and give new reactions. She says that it does not apply when there is new information or new violations. – The consequence in this case is that we have given a clear criticism. We expect the Norwegian Armed Forces to follow up on our recommendations in this and other matters. The civil ombudsman has asked the Armed Forces to report on the follow-up to the criticism by 1 March.
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The civil ombudsman criticizes the Armed Forces after whistleblowing case – news Troms and Finnmark
