THE MAN OF HISTORY: The former history professor opens up about the past in Norwegian target youth. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen / VG
The government’s newest minister, Oddmund Hoel (Sp), also says that he told Jonas Gahr Støre’s (Ap) office about the case before he was appointed.
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- Government member Oddmund Hoel (Sp) admits membership fraud from the 1990s in Norsk målungdom, in order to get more state support.
- Hoel was general manager, deputy manager and central board member, and signed state aid applications with over-reported membership numbers.
- Hoel informed the Center Party’s general secretary and the Prime Minister’s office about the case before he was appointed as a minister.
Sea view
He became the new minister for research and higher education after Sandra Borch (Sp) resigned due to master’s cheating.
In a meeting with VG, he himself admits that he took part in membership fraud from his time in the leadership of Norsk målungdom.
– That should not have happened, says Oddmund Hoel (Sp) to VG.
The online newspaper and A parting discussed the matter on Sunday.
He was general manager from 1991 to 1992, deputy manager from 1992 to 1993 – and central board member from 1993 to 1994.
– As general manager and sole employee, I was responsible for submitting the applications for state aid. Then we overreported the number of members, says Hoel.
– Was it deliberate?
– Yes, I did that deliberately, he says.
He explains that they did this to get more support for the organization than they had membership numbers for.
– Why did you do that?
– It was to get more state support, he says.
– What do you think about it today?
– No, it’s not one of the glorious parts of my past. In no way is it, he says.
ADMITS: Oddmund Hoel is not proud of what happened under his leadership. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen / VG
– What was the money used for?
– Operation of the organization. Traveling. Course. Office.
– Did the money also go towards your salary?
– Yes, it went into the financing of my very low salary.
– Have you signed documents that gave you unlawful support?
– I think I signed two applications to the ministry. Maybe three, says Hoel.
The case was revealed at the time by TV 2’s “State of the Kingdom” in 2002. Norwegian target youth was also investigated by Økokrim.
Six people were convicted of fraud committed after Hoel’s time in management, write Nettavisen and Firda. They refer to the judgment from the Borgarting Court of Appeal from 2004, which states that everything that happened before 1998 was too old to be prosecuted.
Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen / VG
– You say you were aware that you provided membership numbers that were not real and that generated money you should not have had. If you were aware of it, how did you yourself assess what you did against the law and morality at the time?
– It is 33 years ago. I don’t think I can handle it. Now, the prosecution’s assessment a few years later was that none of the organizations had broken the law, he says.
He says that 72 youth organizations were investigated in 1996. He says that the state attorney came to the conclusion that the fraud provision could not be used and dropped all reports for “no criminal offence”.
But the investigation continued against the leadership of two youth parties after closure. Then for “false explanation to public authority”.
– Would you report an organization to the police if they had sought money from your ministry and done the same as you?
– After 1996, a line was drawn for what had taken place previously and what had taken place in many organizations as far back as the 1980s. A lot came out at that time. After this, it became another legal question, says Hoel and adds:
– My answer will then be this. Those who received state aid they were not entitled to after 1996, they were made responsible for it, he says.
FORGOT HIS MOBILE: Oddmund Hoel had to run back to get his mobile before he went on to the next appointment. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen / VG
Told the boss
Hoel informs VG that he has explained the matter to the Center Party’s secretary general, Knut Olsen, before he was appointed as state secretary in 2021.
He says that he has repeated the same story to Chief of Staff Kristine Kallset (Ap) at the Prime Minister’s Office (SMK) before he got his new job.
– I explained myself the same way both times and can’t remember that I added anything to my conversation with SMK, says Hoel.
– Did you get any feedback on that story?
– I do not see a reason to go into my dialogue with the Prime Minister’s office. I told that story. After that I was appointed a minister, he says.
Nationally known wedding
Hoel’s wedding received a lot of public attention in 2002, when the case first broke in the media.
Several of the wedding guests had organized a dance course just before the wedding. A year after the wedding, in August 1999, they applied for NOK 40,000 from the state for the course, according to Sogn Avis.
Oddmund Hoel on his way out of the interview at the Ministry of Education. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen / VG
Hoel states that he went to the private house the guests had rented to practice dancing before the wedding.
He says he only became aware of the matter four years after the wedding.
– I had no idea about that. Nor that I was on the participant list, he says.
He may think that there were between 15 and 20 out of a total of around 100 guests at the wedding.
– No turtles
Hoel explains that, among other things, they overreported how many members had paid annual fees.
He says that there was no question of listing turtles or other pets, like the AUF scandal at the time.
– There were no turtles who were members with us. In the main, it was about a rift between paying and registered members, he says.
Hoel says that he was not questioned or contacted by Økokrim at the time.
He himself led a local team at the Norwegian University of Environmental and Biosciences (NMBU) at Ås, at the same time as he studied at the University of Oslo.
– There were very few members. But it was a small group of members in Målungdommen who were organized into this student team. There was varying activity and a very varying degree of formalization. This was 30 years ago, he says.
Published:
Published: 05.02.24 at 14:54
Updated: 05.02.24 at 15:09
2024-02-05 13:54:17
#Admits #cheating #money #deliberately
