The case has been dropped on the status of the evidence, according to the decision news has had access to. – This is completely as expected, that a competent public prosecutor would come to this result, says defender Jon Wessel-Aas. He states that his client, former defendant Bengt Waldow, is satisfied with the decision. The former lawyer Bengt Waldow hung these posters in the center of Oslo. Illustration: Bengt Waldow – After the case was rejected, further investigative steps were carried out, and the case was then sent to us for a new decision, says First State Attorney Iris Storås in Hedmark and Oppland State Attorney’s Offices to news. – We have carried out a complete new assessment of the factual and legal aspects of the case. After an overall assessment, there is no basis for prosecuting the act he is charged with, she continues. Former public prosecutor was disqualified The former lawyer Bengt Waldow had to appear in court in January, accused of violating another’s peace by hanging posters in the center of Oslo. However, the case took a turn when the court decided that the public prosecutor who prosecuted Waldow was incompetent. She was herself a member of the private drug policy association Norwegian Narcotics Police Association (NNPF). And it was precisely this association’s leaders Waldow was accused of infringing with his posters. Thus, the case was sent back for further investigation. A short time ago, it became known that the Oslo police district, which has investigated the case twice, ordered that the case be dropped as no criminal matter is considered proven. Iris Storås in connection with another court case. Storås is the first state prosecutor in Hedmark and Oppland state prosecutor offices. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news First State Attorney Storås tells news that she believes she is competent in the case and that she has never been a member of the NNPF. Storås is the head of the incompetent public prosecutor. – What do you think about the fact that you and your employee have come to such different conclusions? – The prosecuting authority will make a complete assessment of the prosecution question. And that is what the state attorney did in processing the indictment question in the autumn of 2022. When the case is dismissed, a new decision must be made, and this is done on the basis of a new and complete assessment of all aspects of the case as it stands today. It has been done here and I have come to a different result. – But what do you think about the fact that you have reached a different result? – I make a complete assessment of both the legal and factual side of the case. I have no opinion on the previous decision, I am making a completely new assessment of the case as I perceive it. The police believed the case should be dropped. In the statement, the police wrote that the posters could be perceived as unpleasant, but that “the expression, purpose and context of the posters do not appear to deviate markedly from the unpleasantness that can arise in a heated political debate”. In other words, that the statements on the posters were no worse than what could have been said in the heat of battle in a political debate. – I still think it is regrettable that charges were brought at all. Both for my client, who for three quarters of a year has had to live with this, which is not punishable, hanging over him, and for the freedom of speech of the many who have seen this here, and wanted to express themselves critically about the police and the NNPF but changed their mind. It has had a cooling effect, says defender Wessel Aas. He adds that he also thinks it is regrettable that the Oslo police decided to press charges after the first investigation. An investigation he believes was flawed. – Regrettable The posters Waldow hung up in Oslo called for public prosecutor Geir Evanger and the policeman Jan Erik Bresil. Bresil and Evanger are both involved in the Norwegian Narcotics Police Association (NNPF) as chairman and deputy chairman of the board respectively. Through QR codes on the posters, you could access websites about the Role Understanding Committee, and about operation SULT. However, the QR codes were not examined by the police during the initial investigation. Wessel-Aas pointed this out in court. The police then examined the QR codes, and therefore decided to close them down after a new investigation. The Hedmark and Oppland State Attorney’s Offices got the case when the Oslo State Attorney’s Office thought they were incompetent, because they share office premises with the National State Attorney’s Office, where Evanger works. news has been in contact with Geir Evanger, who does not wish to comment on the matter. He says to Rett24 that he is considering appealing the decision.
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The poster case has been dropped – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
