– They are grown ladies, and nothing illegal has been done, says a West Norwegian man with a woman’s blanket. Lawyer believes the women are not to be counted as whistleblowers.
Firda writes that a local politician from the Center Party in Sogn og Fjordane is excluded from the party. The reason is a violation of the party’s ethical regulations.
The exclusion comes in the wake of a letter signed by six women, which has been sent to Sp’s local team leader and all the man’s colleagues in the municipal council.
In the letter, which Nettavisen has read, six women claim to have been deceived by the man, with whom they each had their romantic relationship – unaware of each other. They have been seduced in a cynical way, and have been given false hopes, they write. The man was married when the relationship was going on, but is now divorced.
The exclusion was made by the party nationally this autumn, by Secretary General Knut M. Olsen. He does not comment on Nettavisen, other than that the party does not comment on notification cases.
– New line from the party
The online newspaper has spoken to the man, who is aware that this is not to be regarded as a normal notification case or metoo case.
– This is from the private sphere, and is not associated with any political context, he says to Nettavisen.
Also read: Siv Jensen about the offer she received: – It is completely unheard of to do against a young girl
The man has received a written statement from the party in two sentences, he says. It states that he has been excluded as a result of a breach of the party’s ethical guidelines. He has asked for a fuller justification, but he has not received it.
He does not deny secrecy and contact with several women at the same time, but is aware that there is no question of any crime.
– These are adult ladies, and nothing illegal has been done. So I marvel at the quick and superficial treatment on the part of the Center Party.
– If it is justified by lies and deception, then I accept it, but at the same time I think it is a new line from the party. This is not a metoo case.
– Was investigated by the party
None of the women are active in the Center Party. Two of them tell Nettavisen that they believe the man creates an image that the exclusion has taken place on a thinner basis than is the case.
– The formal letter is just the beginning of the investigation from the Center Party. Since then, there has been an extensive and thorough investigation by the party, where we have presented a lot of documentation, says one woman to Nettavisen.
Also read: Newspaper: Alerts to FRP politicians
There have been rounds of responses from both parties, she states. The man confirms this, but says he was not allowed to respond to the information the women provided after the original letter.
The woman thinks it does not matter whether they are active in politics or not.
– It does not matter in this case. The man has been engaging in particularly abusive behavior towards a whole host of women for years. By virtue of his political role, he has created a facade where he appears socially engaged, with great integrity, trust and credibility. The role he has as a municipal politician and SP representative is not at all insignificant for how he has presented and presented himself. This can not be underestimated.
The woman acknowledges that nothing illegal has been done by the man, as far as they know.
– It is a lie
The man claims that the letter was sent to 700 of his Facebook friends. He experiences this as a public gap stick, he says to Firda. Another of the women denies this to Nettavisen.
– That is not true, she says.
– Because it has not been sent to any of his friends, or because the number is lower than 700?
– No, that’s a lie. None of us have sent the formal alert letter to his Facebook friends.
Also read: Former FRP minister excluded from Frp
She also explains why the women chose to send the letter to all the man’s colleagues in the municipal council, and not just the local SP leaders.
– It is that we were afraid of not being believed and taken seriously. We chose to warn broadly because we did not want to be ridiculed, condemned and belittled.
Although no laws have been broken, she is aware that being a politician places certain demands on how one treats others.
– There should be a correspondence between life and learning here, and if you are a politician, then you have a position with you 24/7.
Now they want peace around what has been a demanding case, she says.
– It takes an insane amount to endure to warn, as we have done. We are not contemptuous ladies on a quest for revenge.
– They are not whistleblowers
Birthe Eriksen, a lawyer who specializes in notification cases, says Firda that she does not think this is to be regarded as a warning case.
– I do not think it belongs anywhere to use the term “alerts” about the six women. Notification is a term that involves employees reporting on matters worthy of criticism internally in the workplace. We also have examples of the term being used when members of voluntary organizations report abuse and the like, she tells Firda.
– But here we are talking about adult women without positions in the Center Party, and there is nothing to indicate that the man has used his position or position for anything. Then I mean that this is a matter that belongs to privacy, she concludes.
Also read: Intense Twitter quarrel on the left
Eriksen is also critical of the fact that the man has not been told which paragraphs in the party’s guidelines he has broken.
– They do not write that he has done anything criminal.
– No. One has no legal claim on a man. Who is it that has not been despised or deceived in relationships during its life?
– He is excluded because he has been unfaithful. Are we heading for US conditions?
– Yes, there are many here who should go for a walk with themselves, says Eriksen, who advises the man to take on a lawyer.
Will not explain the exclusion
“We never comment on notification cases. All information in such cases is treated confidentially with us “, Secretary General Knut M. Olsen answers in an e-mail to Nettavisen.
He has not answered these questions:
- Why does the party never comment on whistleblowing cases?
- What points in the party’s ethical guidelines has NN violated?
- Is infidelity or several secret matters at the same time in itself a reason for exclusion from the Center Party, and will there be current practice in the future?
- Do you consider this case a metoo case?
Strongly disagree
The six women disagree with the criticism from lawyer Eriksen, and have written a long response Firda.
There they write, among other things, “that a lawyer has looked forward to who and when a person has the opportunity to notify a case – and thus earn himself a so-called” whistleblower status “- we do not allow ourselves to be further affected by”.
They quote the following from the Center Party’s ethical guidelines:
“Notification is to proceed with suspicion or certainty about matters worthy of criticism to someone who can do something about it. Critical conditions mean breaches of Norwegian laws, the Center Party’s statutes or breaches of the Center Party’s ethical guidelines. The violation can apply to personal behavior, political or organizational abuse ».
“The ethical guidelines are clear, and do not contain any definition that one must be a political member or hold political office in the Center Party in order to be able to give notice. To be tried as a minor and deprived of the right to report matters worthy of criticism – as lawyer Eriksen does here – we experience as an attempt at gagging and censorship “they write further.
–
