Civil architect Rune Breili and former construction case manager Harald Svendsen have been sentenced to eight months in prison for gross corruption in the Tjøme case.
Svendsen and Breili have denied criminal guilt during the case.
The case includes a large number of controversial permits for construction in the attractive beach zone on Tjøme, very close relations between a local architectural firm and the municipal construction case manager, and free architectural services provided by Breili to Svendsen.
Svendsen will also have a dividend of NOK 28,125 confiscated. The verdict is unanimous.
Additional fines
Hans Petter Abrahamsen, who succeeded Svendsen as a construction case manager in Tjøme Municipality, has been sentenced to pay a fine of NOK 20,000 for misconduct.
According to newspaper Tønsbergs Blad, the fine is due to Abrahamsen’s mishandling of several construction cases when he was employed by the Municipality.
A serious case
The case started when Tom Ravndal approached Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) with a number of documents in May 2017, stunned by the approval of construction in the beach zone and the close ties between Svendsen, Breili, and Abrahamsen.
The National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime in Norway (Økokrim) issued an indictment in the spring of 2019.
“I did not think, at the time, it would be this serious,” Ravndal told the channel before the trial started in January.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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