The case summarized The staff of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett have sent several harsh e-mails to the police in Møre and Romsdal about the wedding in Geiranger. They blamed the police for having arranged for the press to film from the air. The e-mails went like ping-pong balls between the staff and the police for several weeks before the argument was put to rest. The police have kept a number of documents about the wedding secret for a long time. General secretary Reidun Kjelling Nybø of the Norwegian Editors’ Association criticizes the police for a lack of respect for the principle of openness. Lawyer Kristine Foss in the Press Association states that the police’s handling of the e-mails about the wedding breaks the law. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by journalists from news before publication. The management of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett have this summer sent several harsh e-mails to the police in Møre and Romsdal about the wedding in Geiranger. Yesterday it became known that they owed the police for having arranged for the press to film from the air. Now it turns out that the e-mails went like ping-pong balls between the management and the police for several weeks before the argument was put to rest. Only this week did the police decide to publish them in the postal journal, as they are obliged to do. This means that the police have kept a number of documents about the wedding secret for a long time. – It is deeply regrettable to see that the police have no greater respect for the principle of openness than this suggests, says general secretary Reidun Kjelling Nybø of the Norwegian Editors’ Association. Reidun Kjelling Nybø of the Norwegian Editors’ Association is not happy that the police withheld several e-mails about the wedding. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB She says it is very important for journalists that the police also follow the law, and record all letters and e-mails continuously. Several documents disappeared The e-mails about the controversial drone filming over Geiranger are not the only documents that never appeared in the postal records of the police – until now: several e-mails dated in April following a meeting between the police, the World Heritage Center and the wedding hotel appeared in the postal journal this week, the same applies to e-mails from the end of May from the police to the princess’s management with dialogue around a press release that was to be sent out, also e-mails from the mayor of Stranda to the police on May 23rd only became visible this week The police should have done The police are required to keep continuous postal records of all incoming and outgoing mail. This applies to all public institutions. Among other things, it is established in the Public Officials Act, the Archives Act and the Archives Regulations. This should enable most people – and the press – to be able to follow what is happening. The civil ombudsman has stated several times that the record-keeping must take place continuously and as quickly as possible: “The ombudsman finds reason to point out that the ministry must organize the work in such a way that the record-keeping takes place continuously and as quickly as practically possible, also in periods of high work pressure or delays in a case. Gradual record-keeping, and particularly record-keeping that is postponed until after the case has been concluded or until the case is less relevant, could lead to the considerations that the rules on access must take care of being disregarded.’ Here is the bride and groom who are getting married in Geiranger in a week. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Scanpix – Haven’t tried to keep anything secret All summer, the police have sent out postal records, but without attaching the e-mails about the wedding. Department director Iselin Nevstad Øvrelid in Møre and Romsdal police district owes, among other things, high work pressure. – The police have not tried to keep anything secret. We are dependent on talking to others in the organization to take care of preparedness, confidentiality and safety. It’s not that we don’t want to publish it, but we have to be sure that what we publish is right, she says. – But they don’t need two months for that, do they? – We had to use the time it took to make sure that those cares were taken care of. But we should certainly have recorded it earlier, she says. The police recently received criticism from the management of the bride and groom for having revealed that the wedding was to take place outside close to the hotel. Department director Iselin Nevstad Øvrelid in the police admits that they should have recorded the e-mails about the wedding earlier. Photo: The police – A clear breach of the law Lawyer Kristine Foss in the Press Association states that the police’s handling of the e-mails about the wedding breaks the law. – The police are breaking the law because they are withholding the e-mails for such a long time. That violates the entire purpose of the legislation, Foss asserts. – But the police point to high work pressure and the need to clarify questions about, among other things, the duty of confidentiality and safety. Isn’t that a point? – Such conditions can mean that it can take a few extra days, but it should not take several months, she says. She underlines that the whole point of keeping records is that people should be able to continuously monitor what public enterprises are doing. Lawyer Kristine Foss at the Presseforbundet believes that the police are breaking the law when they do not keep continuous mailing lists. Photo: Nors Presseforbund Will try to change practice Department director Iselin Nevstad Øvrelid firmly rejects that the police have received instructions from Märtha Louise’s management to play tricks with the postal journal. As far as he knows, all relevant documents should now be on the table. – We should have recorded this earlier, and we just have to take that with us. We shall strive to ensure that it is done as the Public Service Act and the Archive Regulations say. General secretary Reidun Kjelling Nybø of the Press Association believes that it should only be missing. – They should of course keep records in the post journal continuously, that is what they are obliged to do according to the legislation. Published 23.08.2024, at 19.23
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Wedding quarrel with the police in Møre og Romsdal – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
