Lawyer transferred 250,000 from a woman in the 90s to a nurse – E24

The quarter-million transfer is among the hundreds of women’s account transactions in the 90s that E24 has reviewed in recent months.

In June, E24 documented how attorney John Hammervoll in the past three years transferred NOK 6.8 million to his own company and to the woman’s real estate agent Odd Kalsnes. The police accused in our Hammervoll of gross financial infidelity and Kalsnes of complicity.

The case is in an early stage. Both deny criminal guilt.

Earlier this summer, Hammervoll voluntarily agreed to a temporary license suspension as a result of the charges against him.

One of the transfers of the old woman’s account for which the lawyer was responsible was to a nursing assistant. On the same day that the auxiliary nurse received NOK 250,000, she used a similar amount to buy from the co-owners of a company she owned.

Attorney John Hammervoll helped the nursing assistant gain full ownership of the business, while also transferring the money from the account to the woman in the 1990s.

I would change caregiver

The woman in her 90s has no close relatives and was worth tens of millions when she signed a future power of attorney for attorney John Hammervoll in November 2016.

A future power of attorney is only valid if the person understands what they are signing. A fundamental aspect of the case is whether the woman has understood the agreements with the lawyer.

According to police, the woman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and advanced cognitive impairment before signing the first assignment in 2016. Hammervoll’s defender notes that the doctor has assessed her as competent to consent.

In recent years, the elderly woman has received home care. The future power of attorney states that Hammervoll must look out for your personal and financial interests.

In the fall of 2019, Hammervoll thought the care the woman received was too expensive, according to her explanation in court. He also criticized the fact that the nurse was untrained, according to a statement from the Hammervoll Pind law firm.

With this as a background, the lawyer wanted an auxiliary nurse with health professional training, who was paid less, to take over the care.

– It is also true that Hammervoll has advised the customer to seek a cheaper solution for some services that Hammervoll considered to cost a disproportionate amount with the service provider that was used, Hammervoll’s defender Anders Brosveet tells E24.

Hammervoll denies having a private relationship with the auxiliary nurse.

– He only performs actions that the client has asked of him, and that of course regardless of what he himself may think about the instructions beyond being an advisor, says the lawyer via Brosveet.

He will not comment on the transfer.

The older woman’s powers meant that John Hammervoll managed her account and was able to transfer a quarter of a million to the auxiliary nurse on November 7 of last year.

The nursing assistant will not comment on the move, but writes to E24 that she has a “good impression of Hammervoll” and that they have known each other for about a year.

In recent years, the nursing assistant has run a business together with others. Shortly before receiving the money from the woman in the 1990s, a process was started to buy from the co-owners.

John Hammervoll acted as a nursing assistant attorney and was central in drafting the purchase agreement, according to documents E24 has seen. Among other things, he referred to the woman as “our client.”

Two days before the purchase, Hammervoll wrote that “the case has been resolved.” On the same day that the lawyer transferred 250,000 crowns from the woman’s account in the 1990s to the nursing assistant, 200,000 were paid to the other owners of the company. Later 50,000 crowns would be transferred.

When the auxiliary nurse received a quarter of a million, she owed Volvat money, according to the transcript of the land registry. The debt came after what the hospital in a letter to the county governor described as embezzlement.

Received privately paid treatment

In early 2019, Volvat revealed that the assistant nurse had paid to sell the hospital’s creams and provide laser treatment privately at the Majorstuen Health Trust facility in Oslo.

Volvat did not report the case to the police or notify the health authorities.

The county governor only discovered the circumstances when NRK discussed the activities of the auxiliary nurse and demanded an explanation from Volvat. Insight shows that the health trust wrote to the county governor that the assistant nurse since 2015 has “embezzled an amount by selling medical creams that belonged to Volvat, and received the payment himself, including through Vipps.”

In addition, he used “Volvo facilities for private treatment,” according to the hospital. The woman has been licensed as a nurse for more than ten years.

Volvat informs the county governor that the woman admitted the circumstances. Per Helge Fagermoen, CEO of Volvat, will not comment on the case and notes that it has been sent to the Norwegian Board of Health.

– Regarding my previous employer, we had a disagreement that has been resolved, says the auxiliary nurse from E24.

The auxiliary nurse had to return what Volvat had lost. In June 2019, Volvat took out a mortgage on the woman’s house for NOK 250,000.

He will not comment on customer relationships.

John Hammervoll participated in the start-up of the Hammervoll Pind law firm, which in 2017 exceeded 100 million in turnover.

When Hammervoll transferred 250,000 crowns from the woman’s account in the 1990s to the auxiliary nurse, the company had already found reasons to investigate the client’s relationship with the older woman.

A statement from E24 shows that Hammervoll Pind held four customer relationship meetings. The last meeting was in October 2019, a few weeks before the transaction.

Hammervoll Pind leader Sindre Aaserød says he cannot confirm or deny whether the auxiliary nurse has been registered as a client. When asked if the transfer was in line with the conclusion of the working committee in Hammervoll Pind, Aaserød refers to what he has said previously:

– The working committee in this case went beyond what is usual in the legal profession regarding clients. This is because the relationship with the client was of such a nature that we considered it necessary to do a thorough review. Decisions were made that in recent times were not fully carried out. The working committee recognizes that we must take more care in ensuring that the decisions made are carried out. We are in the process of clarifying how we can best guarantee it.

Sindre Aaserød confirmed in early August that the lawyer left the firm and is no longer a partner. The investigation against Hammervoll is still ongoing.

– Wait for the facts to be known, says defender Anders Brosveet.

Say that money was a gift

When the lawyer was charged this spring, the police seized documents in Hammervoll Pind. Before the evidence could be delivered, the Oslo District Court had to review it. Hammervoll’s defender, attorney Anders Brosveet, asked that the police not have access to the material.

The district court ruled that the police could obtain the documents. Hammervoll appealed the ruling. The appeal has yet to be decided.

In his petition to the district court, Hammervoll’s defense attorney wrote that the transfer of a quarter of a million was a gift the 90s woman decided to give the nursing assistant:

‘Hammervoll was present when NN (E24 anonymization journal. Note) issued a gift certificate without assistance for this, either the day before or two days before the payment was made on 07.11.2019 “.

As Hammervoll recalls, the gift certificate was physically delivered to the nursing assistant, at Brosveit’s request. For documentation purposes, Hammervoll will have subsequently produced a typescript version dated at the time of transfer. E24 hasn’t seen any of the gift certificates.

Defender Anders Brosveet may, based on his knowledge of the case, say the following:

– Hammervoll has only followed the instructions of its client. It is the client who has made the decisions, cf. that Hammervoll has connected with the doctor evaluating it as competent consent.

At E24 we rely on the advice of our readers. Contact E24 journalists by email [email protected] and [email protected], or in an encrypted message through Signal or WhatsApp at +4741381407.

I have a public tutor

In addition to the 250,000 crowns received by the auxiliary nurse, 10,000 crowns were transferred from women in the 1990s to the nursing assistant company. The last sum was transferred on December 30 of last year.

In April of this year, the county governor received information about the account transfers to the woman in her 90s. The information leads to the decision to appoint a guardian. The decision says:

“The county governor believes that a temporary decision to establish guardianship is necessary to avoid significant harm or inconvenience to him.”

The transfer to the auxiliary nurse is now part of the police investigation, according to police attorney Susie Bergstrand, from the financial investigation and specialized letters section.

– We are familiar with transactions and are investigating this. Among other things, we analyze what kind of services have been provided.

Note: An employee of the Verdens Gang, who is the majority owner of E24, is associated with the circle around the woman in the 90s mentioned in this case.