Food Minister Monica Mæland and former Minister of Culture Thorhild Widvey is not just party colleagues and former government colleagues, but also friends.
therefore react more now that Mæland gave the chairmanship to Widwey, after she asked the former chairman of Statkraft Olav Fjell to go.
Mountain has been chairman of the state-owned power company since 2012. He says to NRK that he was told of the decision a week before, and that he himself did not want to go off.
Widwey took office on June 29. Monica Mæland confirms that she did not get her competence assessed before she made the decision.
Referred who is a fulltime compensated with 484,000 per year, and is one of the highest paid these appointments State disposal, according to the national TV channel.
– may have broken the law
law professor Beate Sjåfjell are among those who are critical of the decision and believes it can violate both the Public Administration and the Companies Act.
she believes Mæland may have been incompetent when she proclaimed Widwey and should have considered this first.
– this is not a relationship covered by the Public administration Act for impartiality. Nor is near the limit of what was MÆLAND response to NRK.
Also Martin Kolberg, president of SCSCA in Parliament, said industry minister should explain the appointment of Widwey.
– Both confirms the obvious that they are close friends, and then it would have been the orderly and proper that the minister checked his impartiality, and took the matter with the Law Department, says Kolberg told NRK.
– friendship has to be very close
Law professor Jan Fridthjof Bernt at the university believes, however, that it takes a lot for impartiality becomes a problem in such cases.
– Interest legally there should be a very close friendship, almost on par with a close family member, before there is talk of partiality by the Public Administration, says Bernt.
But if it should prove that friendship is so close that it can raised questions about conflict of interest, he believes Mæland should have asked the Justice Department of Justice consider this in advance.
– But from what has been said so far, she has done nothing wrong, says law professor.
– Should be no doubt
He stressed that disqualification is assessed from case to case, and that a personal relationship might be okay in a situation, but is considered a conflict of interest in another.
– The chairman duties is both a very important and well paid position. This implies that one should be strict. This is about state apparatus legitimacy, and should not be left with no doubt that the decision was taken in error, says Bernt.
He added that if it should turn out that Mæland was disqualified, the decision invalid and the chairman must be appointed again.
Wanted a “different profile»
in addition to the appointment of Widwey as chairman, two other members of the board replaced.
– changes occur after a comprehensive assessment and will make the board well equipped to develop Statkraft in the future, said Mæland in a press release when the new board was presented in late June.
Former Chairman Olav Fjell says to NRK that the reason why he had to resign from the board was a desire for a chairman with a “different profile.”
Statkraft is Norway’s largest power producer and one of Europe’s leading companies within renewable energy. The Norwegian State is the sole owner of the company that in 2015 had a gross turnover of 53 billion.
Outgoing Culture Minister Widwey: “It has not been easy. It has been hard work, all the way. “Statkraft Norwegian tax conflict State ownership and responsibility | Monica Mæland economics minister (H)
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