While Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) was Foreign Minister, her husband Ola Petter Flem invested in a wide range of shares. Several of the companies were covered by matters that were either on the foreign minister’s or the government’s desk. Among other things, Flem traded shares in the arms manufacturer Kongsberg Gruppen and in the seafood companies Grieg Seafood, Mowi and Lerøy Seafood. Unknowingly incompetentAnniken Huitfeldt has broken the government’s competence rules. Even though her husband’s share purchase has been unknown to her, she herself has not fulfilled the responsibility of acquiring all knowledge that could affect her competence. It is she herself who, just too late, has brought presented this information and gave it to the civil service, the prime minister and the press. Both she herself and the prime minister believe she can continue in her job as foreign minister. It is difficult to understand how Huitfeldt did not even from day one demand a list of the individual shares from her husband. It seems as whether the husband wanted to have watertight bulkheads between the Minister for Foreign Affairs and his own investments to avoid problems of integrity. There is a wrong perception of the regulations. The Minister for Foreign Affairs must know in order to be able to act in line with the regulations. To deny her knowledge is to make the situation worse, not better, even if it is done in good faith. Since this is far from the first competency case for the Støre government, the case becomes more serious than itself. It underpins the impression of a cultural problem and too little awareness of the regulations. Therefore, this is a scratch in the paint for more than Huitfeldt. The prime minister, the party and the government as a whole are also affected. It is therefore extremely important that this case becomes part of the control committee’s review of how this and previous governments work with integrity. Huitfeldt has not been able to enrich herself with the knowledge she did not have. That distinguishes the case from Ola Borten Moe, who could potentially use knowledge for his own gain. She has not been able to know about her ties, that distinguishes the case from the cases of Brenna and Trettebergstuen who knew about their direct and indirect ties. The fact that all the competency cases are different strengthens the impression that the overall awareness of competency cases is too poor. It may also be the case in previous governments. It is right that the Control Committee is also looking at this. That the Labor Party gets another competency case in the important election campaign rush is extra devastating. It potentially destroys the opportunities of completely innocent local politicians who lose positions and power in their local everyday life far away from the government’s innermost circles. Thus, Huitfeldt was incompetent without even being aware of it since her husband never informed her of the extensive share trading. – It is quite possible that she was not aware of it, but that is not what this is about. It is about what information, what discussion they have had regardless of which shares he has traded. Naive that he has not heard or seen anything Sissener will not say that Flem had inside information, but he believes that most spouses also discuss professional challenges with each other. He points out that there will be phone calls and that papers can be left at home. He therefore thinks it is too naive that the man has not seen, heard or known anything. – I have no faith that there have been such watertight bulkheads that they have almost slept in their own bedrooms. I do not believe that. The hitting accuracy has been a little too good for that too, says Sissener. Anniken Huitfeldt says she never talked about sensitive topics with her husband Ola Petter Flem Photo: Naina Helen Jåma / NTB He points out that Flem, among other things, sold his fishing shares just before the salmon tax came. – It takes a lot for it to really be “Chinese walls”, he says and points out that those walls are known to have some “holes” in them. – I think he shows very little respect for the foreign minister’s working situation when he sits and day trades. He should have kept himself too good to do anything, believes Sissener. news has been in contact with Flem to get a comment on the criticism. He goes on to refer to the communications department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. news has sent a number of specific questions to the Foreign Ministry – both to Huitfeldt and her husband. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far not responded to news’s inquiry. Økokrim does not investigate the case Økokrim stated yesterday that it is not natural for them to investigate the Anniken Huitfeldt case. At the same time, Ecocrime chief Pål Lønseth told her that he is incompetent because he collaborated with her when he was state secretary. – We became aware of the case through the media yesterday afternoon. We assess available information continuously. According to our assessment, no significant new information has come to light so far, says assistant head of Ecocrime Inge Svae-Grotli today. They say they will return when they have obtained a more complete picture and have carried out some investigations of the available information. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt also explained on Thursday that she does not reveal secrets to anyone. – I never talk to my husband or anyone else about matters that could have an impact on the prices for buying and selling shares on Oslo Børs, she stressed. Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said she was sorry during the press conference on Wednesday. Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB Peter Warren, who has held a number of roles in the Norwegian financial market, has taken note of Økokrim’s statements. – Økokrim’s reflection in stating “no reason for investigation” before all the details are on the table is special”, he says. Warren also believes that Støre treats the ministers differently. Want clarification on information FRP deputy leader Hans Andreas Limi also believes Økokrim should immediately open an investigation, as they have already done in the case against Ola Borten Moe, who had to resign as education minister because of his share purchases. – It is important to clarify whether inside information has been the basis for the purchases and sales of shares that the spouse of the foreign minister has made. It depends on the trust in the whole system. Even if it should be correct that Huitfeldt has not given information to her husband, Limi believes it is important to get to the bottom of what information was the basis for the purchases and sales of shares, and how he got it. – There are many ways to get information. We must remember that we are in a very special situation with war in Europe and a partially state-owned arms manufacturer, in which the foreign minister’s husband trades shares. We must follow the information given, and hopefully be able to clarify that there has been no inside. But that is what Økokrim must do. Tightened the rules in the government An overview from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that there are more than 100 transactions in the Huitfeldt case. Huitfeldt herself took the initiative to inform about the case after a conversation with her husband when she realized that his share trading was much more extensive than she had thought. She said during Wednesday’s press conference that she had introduced her husband to the government’s Handbook for political leadership. On the same day, Støre said that he is tightening the rules for buying and selling shares for ministers. He says that the government’s law book has been updated with 13 new pages, including rules on related financial interests. The prime minister was also clear that he still has confidence in Huitfeldt as foreign minister. Had been fired from business news meets Jan Petter Sissener in the premises of Sissener Canopus, a hedge fund he has managed for 15 years. He says his employees are not allowed to buy and sell shares without his consent. They must also hold the shares for at least three months. Sissener himself says that he is strict with his employees when they want to buy or sell shares. Photo: Martin Legland / news Sissener believes that after the first competency cases in the government, Støre should have put his foot down and that his handling shows that he is a bad leader. – It is the duty of every leader to create framework conditions and ethical norms for how one works as a collective. If this had been in the private business world where the managing director had had so many deputy managers who had crossed the line, he would have been fired by the board immediately, he says. news has been in contact with the Prime Minister’s office and asked for a comment on Sissner’s statements about Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s handling of the integrity cases. They say they do not want to comment on the matter. Integrity cases in the control committee Head of the control and constitution committee at the Storting, Peter Frølich, right-winger, says the case of Anniken Huitfeldt is serious, and that it will be natural for them to look into it. A unanimous control committee decided a month ago to open a control case against the government’s handling of competence issues. The investigation comes as a consequence of the cases where first Minister of Knowledge Tonje Brenna (Ap), and then Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) and finally Minister of Research and Higher Education Ola Borten Moe (Sp) admitted a breach of the rules for impartiality in the government. Trettebergstuen and Borten Moe resigned from their jobs as ministers, but Brenna has remained in office with the support of Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap). The Labor Party’s three representatives on the committee also agreed to the investigation. The Control and Constitution Committee is the only committee in the Storting that can deal with matters on its own initiative. The decision to start a separate investigation can be made by a third of the committee’s members, which means that a minimum of four of the committee’s members must support a proposal to initiate an investigation.
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– Would never have been accepted in business – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
