13 years after 21-year-old Martine Vik Magnussen was killed in London, dad Odd Petter lays flowers at her grave in Asker cemetery.
Hardly a day goes by without him thinking about his daughter and the life she has been robbed of.
– The day is difficult for us. Both for me personally and for the rest of the family, he says.
– I think of Martine when I stand by her grave. This gentle, well-meaning, good man. And of course the fact that we’ve lost her.
– TOMBSTONE: Martine Vik Magnussen is buried in Asker cemetery with her grandparents. Photo: Ingvild Gjerdsøe
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Notice to the Storting
Martin’s classmate Farouk Abdulhak is the only suspect in the murder case. He left Britain just hours after she was killed, and has since lived in hiding in Yemen. He will now be in Sana, north of the Houthi-controlled area of the country.
Yemen has no extradition agreement with the United Kingdom, and the case has since been without a sentence.
Magnussen has several times before been very critical of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ efforts in the case. He now states that he will shortly deliver a notice to the Storting in an attempt to create political pressure on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– I have unfortunately found it necessary to have to go to a notification case against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to the inadequacy from their point of view, says Magnussen.
DISCLAIMER: Odd Petter Magnussen believes he does not receive help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the case where the daughter has been killed. Photo: Ingvild Gjersøe
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He experiences that foreign authorities have shown far greater commitment in helping to establish contact with the controlling authorities in Yemen.
– We have had fantastic follow-up from the British authorities, American authorities, and Swiss authorities. We have also received support from Sweden and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But the commitment from the Norwegian authorities is lacking, he says.
– This has happened especially under the current government. We have had intense communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where we have pointed out their obvious room for maneuver, but it has not yielded results. We must try to get other authorities to look at the durability of the Foreign Ministry’s lines in this case in view of the lack of concrete measures in the case against Yemen. In other words, the measures we have seen they have used in other cases.
Magnussen does not want to make it known in detail what the criticism is about until the warning is ready. According to him, it will happen in a short time.
– It is wrong that I appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this way, so many years later, says Magnussen.
– British authorities hold the investigation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been presented with the information about the forthcoming notification.
They say that they provide assistance in line with the guidelines for when Norwegians die abroad, but point out that it is the British authorities who are conducting the murder investigation.
“Consular assistance is one of the Foreign Service’s most important tasks. The Foreign Service provides consular assistance within the framework that follows from the Foreign Services Act and the White Paper on Assistance to Norwegians Abroad.
In this case, consular assistance was first provided in connection with the death. When Norwegian citizens are exposed to criminal acts abroad, however, it is the authorities in the country where the criminal act takes place that are responsible for investigation and prosecution. In the Martine case, it is the British authorities.
From the Norwegian side, a lot of work has been done over the years with the aim of supporting and complementing a solid British effort. This work continues. The Ministry understands the frustration the family of Martine Vik Magnussen feels over the fact that the case is still unresolved, » writes communications consultant Ragnhild Simenstad in an e-mail to TV 2.
Secret contact
This autumn, for the first time, there was secret contact with the lawyers of Farouk’s father Shaher Abdulhak.
TV 2 has previously mentioned how representatives from the Martine Foundation experienced that there was a positive development in the conversations, and the lawyers for Martin’s family had received signals that the case would be taken “to the next level”.
But then came the news that Farouk’s father, the powerful businessman Shaher Abdulhak, had died.
The preliminary agreement contained a specific framework with conditions for an extradition. Among other things, these conditions allowed Farouk to serve a possible sentence in his native country.
THE MARTINE FOUNDATION: Lawyer Patrick Lundevall-Unger is the leader of the Martine Foundation. Photo: Gorm Kallestad
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The leader of the Martine Foundation, Patrick Lundevall-Unger, tells TV 2 that they have not succeeded in restoring contact since. He says they have information that it is Farouk’s mother who has now taken control of the family. He believes she holds the key to a solution in the case.
– The mother must make sense, and now understand that Farouk must come on the field to negotiate, says Lundevall-Unger.
– I do not want to give up the fight
The London Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard have been investigating the murder since 2008.
This weekend, they published an appeal on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the murder. There they once again asked Abdulhak to report for suspicion.
– For the past 13 years, Martin’s family and my investigators have kept this case in the public consciousness. It must be clear to Farouk Abdulhak that the case will not go away, and his status as wanted remains unchanged, says James Howarth , who is leading the investigation into the murder by the Metropolitan Police.
“I do not want to give in to the fight for justice for Martin’s family,” he said.
Howarth is the third investigator to lead the case. He recently took over from investigator Andy Partridge.
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