Jens Stoltenberg confirmed to the newspaper Aftenposten that he has talked about the position as central bank governor with Oil Fund CEO Nicolai Tangen.
The leadership job was first discussed during a private dinner on January 3, 2021, at Knut Brundtland’s home. The newspaper writes that Stoltenberg participated together with Oil Fund CEO Nicolai Tangen and a number of family members.
In an SMS to Aftenposten via his adviser Sissel Kruse Larsen, Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the position as head of Norges Bank was mentioned at the dinner.
He also stated that in September 2021, he met Tangen on a plane on his way to the UN General Assembly in New York. “Then the two had a conversation, where the position as central bank governor was one of the topics,” it said in the SMS.
Stoltenberg further stated that he has also discussed the job with Central Bank Governor Øystein Olsen.
Tangen remembers the talk
Oil Fund chief Nicolai Tangen confirmed to Aftenposten that he talked about the job as central bank governor when he met Stoltenberg on the plane from Copenhagen to New York on September 20 last year. However, he does not remember that the position was the theme of the dinner in January.
“I don’t remember. This was before Øystein announced his resignation, so in that case, it must have been more general about what the job entails,” Tangen said.
Knut Brundtland is the son of former Prime Minister and Labor leader Gro Harlem Brundtland. He is a close friend of both Stoltenberg and Jonas Gahr Støre, whom he has known since his youth. Brundtland did not want to comment on the case, Aftenposten writes.
Counter-candidate
Central Bank Governor Øystein Olsen announced in August last year that he would resign in February 2022. On December 14, Stoltenberg confirmed that he had applied for the position.
The only real counter-candidate is Deputy Central Bank Governor Ida Wolden Bache. Several parties in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) have expressed skepticism that Stoltenberg can take over as head of Norges Bank due to his close ties to both Prime Minister Støre and the Labor Party.
According to the newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, the new central bank governor will probably be appointed by the cabinet on Friday, January 14.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayFinance
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You should look at England, where our Parliament is full of (conservative politicians) filling their pockets with private money…..this is the beginning of the end for true Democracy/ I thought Norway was better than this sort of corruption