A pure witch hunt says Letnes

Letnes, sandbergPer Sandberg together with his Norwegian-Iranian girlfriend Bahareh Letnes. Photo: NTB / Scanpix

A pure witch hunt says Letnes

Per Sandberg and his Norwegian-Iranian girlfriend, Bahareh Letnes will meet the press together on Tuesday afternoon. Letnes says she has experienced the case as a witch hunt.

 

The girlfriend of the departing Minister of Fisheries from the Progress Party (Frp) says to VG that there will be a press conference on Tuesday, but does not answer directly to the question of what it is going to be about.

– About the case. Then you will be allowed to shoot at us some more. Then you will get answers, says Letnes.

In an SMS to the Adresseavisen she writes: – I have experienced this as a pure witch hunt.

To Dagens Næringsliv she states that the meeting with the press will take place either at 3 or 4 pm on Tuesday, roughly one day after Sandberg leaves the Government.

– We are making our plans tonight, but it is in the cards that we have to meet you. Tomorrow is the first opportunity, Sandberg writes in a text message to Nettavisen on Monday.

It is not decided where the press conference will be held.

Looking forward to working with Nesvik as the Minister of Fisheries

– Harald Tom Nesvik (52) has a good knowledge of the fishing industry. We look forward to working with him as the Minister of Fisheries, says Leader of the Fiskebåten organization (the fishing boat), Jonny Berfjord.

– For several years, Nesvik has been very interested in the fishing industry. He has clearly marked himself as an industry politician for several years. In addition to having solid political experience from the Parliament (Stortinget), he has been diligent in attending meetings with the fishing industry. He, therefore, has all the prerequisites for becoming a good Minister of Fisheries for the whole country, Berfjord continues.

– Sandberg has been an engaged, unafraid and knowledgeable Minister of Fisheries. But the way the case surrounding the Iran trip has developed, it was no longer possible for Sandberg to continue as a Cabinet Minister, Berfjord concludes.

The Socialist Party (SV) will take the phone matter to the control committee

SV will pursue the case with the Government’s breach of security in the Parliament, even though Per Sandberg (Progress Party) has resigned.

– Sandberg was not just an exception, he was actually an example. Here are several factors that reveal a miserable security culture in the Government, says Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes (SV), who is in the Control and Constitution Committee, to NTB.

He points to the fact that the Minister of Transport, Ketil Solvik-Olsen (Frp) and two state secretaries have brought mobile phones to high-risk countries without taking necessary precautions, as well.

– SV still has a number of questions we want to be answered and therefore bring this matter to the Control Committee. We need to get to the bottom of the magnitude of lack of security routines in the ministries has been, and how this was allowed to happen, he says.

Sandberg was replaced by Harald Tom Nesvik as Minister of Fisheries on Monday. Sandberg was forced to resign because he brought his official phone to Iran and failed to notify the Prime Minister of the trip beforehand.

Fylkesnes believe the matter weakens Prime Minister Erna Solberg (Conservatives).

– She now has a bad starting point for the hearing on the emergency preparedness later this month. The Sandberg case and the crushing criticism by the Office of the Auditor General against the Government’s preparedness work must be viewed in context. Erna Solberg went to the elections promising to give the country the impetus for security and preparedness, but now shows failing leadership and lack of a security mindfulness.

The Labour party is considering to join the bandwagon along with SV, according to Labour Party Leader, Jonas Gahr Støre.

© NTB scanpix / Fiskebåten / #Norway Today