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In the autumn of 2019, Økokrim started the investigation of the general manager of Bitcoins Norway, Ole-André Torjussen. The suspicion that triggered the investigation was about possible embezzlement of bitcoins that Bitcoins Norway kept for customers or fraud against customers.
– Ecocrime has come to the conclusion that there is no basis for reprimanding any of the circumstances. With regard to the suspicion of embezzlement, the conclusion is that nothing criminal has happened. For the suspicion that concerned fraud, the evidence situation is such that the case has been dropped to the position of the evidence, Økokrim writes in a press release.
– It has been stressful to have such serious accusations hanging over him for a long time. Especially also because this has become a media issue that Torjussen has been standing for a while. Even though the outcome was expected, he is still relieved when the message came, says Torjussen’s lawyer Kim André Svenheim to DN.
Previously sued
The carpenter and Stavanger man Ole-André Torjussen (36) is the man behind Bitcoins Norway, which was one of the country’s first bitcoin exchanges. In the peak year of 2017, the company behind the stock exchange earned NOK 3.6 million before tax.
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In the tax year 2019, Ole-André Torjussen is listed with an income of NOK 1.99 million. This is quite exactly a tripling from the year before when the income was taxed at around 663,000 kroner. In both years, wealth has been zero.
Torjussen has previously been sued by several customers who have demanded a refund. Among what made the former customers of Bitcoins Norway furious was that they were first only predicted that they would be refunded the values of their bitcoin as of the beginning of May 2019 when the exchange rate was about half of what it was when they were notified of the data attack 1 July of the same year.
Some customers reached a settlement, but by At the turn of the year, however, several previous customers decided to sue Torjussen for ten million kroner. Torjussen won against his former customers and the plaintiffs also had to pay his legal costs.
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