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ANSWERS: The leader of Sp Trygve Slagsvold Vedum thinks that the Tangen seminar is problematic. Here with Erna Solberg during a debate at the Storting in January. Photo: Berit Roald, NTB scanpix
Center Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum calls the United States Conference “the ultimate in luxury,” and asks the Prime Minister to respond if it is okay for state officials to attend such events.
VG recounted on Saturday how financier Nicolai Tangen spent millions of dollars at a spectacular three-day conference for friends and acquaintances in the United States, a few months before he was hired as the new head of the Petroleum Fund.
Around 40 Norwegians attended the conference, which took place in November last year. They arrived with private jets from Europe, stayed at Hilton hotels, had dinner, listened to the artist Sting sing, and the best academics in the world spoke. Everything squeezed by Tangen.
Participants included then-Manager of the Yngve Slyngstad Oil Fund, Prime Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (H), UN Ambassador Mona Juul and Government Prosecutor Fredrik Sejersted. On Monday it became clear that the top three employer will still pay for them.
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“Classic Elite Collection”
Center Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum replies that the social peaks have met in this way in the first place.
– It is vitally important that we have confidence in Norwegian officials. The Government Prosecutor, the Ambassador, the Head of the Petroleum Fund and the Minister must act independently. It is troublesome that they are consumed at dinners, well with drinks, concerts and experiences, he tells VG.
– And unfortunately it gives reasons to ask a series of questions, since the person who spends a short time later gets one of the most important positions in Norway.
He describes the US seminar as a “classic elite gathering for networking and information exchange,” and the “scary thing” is if informal decisions are made.
– In Norway we have a tradition of moderation. Ministers and officials must show restraint. This seminar is the opposite of this; It is decadence, the ultimate in luxury. So all of us in positions of power should think about how this will turn out. All lubrication warning lights must be on.
When Tangen participated in Dagsnytt 18 on Monday, he answered questions about why so many people react to what’s to come. Tangen replies that “the events have not gone well enough” and worries about the sequence of the various events.
– My work was done by a committee that was completely independent from Slyngstad. I have been completely open about this matter to Norges Bank the entire time, ”he says in the NRK broadcast.
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“It’s okay?”
Vedum now asks written questions on the matter in Parliament, addressed to Erna Solberg (H):
«Does the Prime Minister consider it fair that government officials participate in such events and receive property included in that event?Vedum asks.
In addition, he wants to know if other prime ministers and officials have attended similar seminars during his time as prime minister.
– The government has tightened regulations so that we have to tax property. The bus driver must tax bus trips in his spare time, volunteers at the festival must tax the festival pass. So it becomes such a fundamental mistake that those with the highest salaries in the state and the highest positions should receive far greater benefits without having to clarify whether it is right or wrong, Slagsvold Vedum believes.
WOULD NOT HAVE: Slagsvold Vedum tells VG that he would have refused if he had been invited to the Tangen seminar. Photo: Frode Hansen, VG
Solberg: do not accept goods
Erna Solberg will respond to the leader of Sp, assures Secretary of State Rune Alstadsæther. But for the moment, it refers to the rules that apply to state employees, as it did earlier in VG:
– We have clear rules about what you can receive as a member of the government or government employee. It is not possible to accept gifts, travel, hotel stays, accommodation or other benefits that are appropriate or that the donor intends to influence what we do in our work, says Solberg.
– When we travel or attend seminars in the office, the employer must pay it in the usual way. It is also important that there is full transparency in this regard, he adds.
You want the OAG to review
It is not just Sp who answers the Tangen seminar. Ap and SV have come out strongly against those who participated in the US tour. LO Summit Jørn Eggum demands full scrutiny of what he believes to be “the butter of the century”. Ap believes the state should consider taking part in the tour bill later.
Red also requires an independent investigation and believes that the OAG should be involved.
– It is crucial with full transparency and that all the stones are turned. This elite behavior is about to rip the rug under the trust of Norwegian public institutions, Bjørnar Moxnes tells VG.
REQUIRES ANSWER: Red Leader Bjørnar Moxnes wants a full review of both his participation in the Tangen seminar and his appointment as Manager of the Petroleum Fund. Photo: Ola Vatn / VG
Red also believes the government’s role in Tangen’s appointment as administrator of the Petroleum Fund should be investigated.
Hans Andreas Limi, former parliamentary leader of the FRP, is also asking for answers in this regard. In a written question in Storting’s Finance Minister Jan Tore Sanner (H), he asked what the Minister would do to contribute to transparency about the recruitment process.
