– As it is Stavanger Høyre’s city council group’s funds that have been used for private purposes, Høyre’s main organization considered it natural that the city council group itself took the decision to hand over this case to the police, says Høyre’s general secretary Tom Erlend Skaug in a press release.
The police confirm that they have received the case on their desk. Acting lawyer Anne Mette Dale speaks NRK that a separate group in the police that works with crime for profit will look into the case on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday afternoon, it became known that Stavanger’s mayor Sissel Knutsen Hegdal (H) is stepping down the day after it became known that she has used party funds for private use.
The money spent totaled NOK 51,148, money which, according to the Conservative Party, has now been repaid.
– The only correct one
The Conservative Party’s general secretary further says that what has happened can be seen as embezzlement of the city council group’s funds, which in turn are public funds allocated by Stavanger municipality.
– The Conservative Party does not have the competence to make a criminal assessment of this. Only the police can do that. That is why Høyre’s main organization now chooses on its own initiative to send the documents we have in this case to the police so that they can make an assessment, he says.
– Regardless of whether the police choose to look into the case or not, we strongly believe that this is the only right thing for a political party to do in a case which, in our view, is very serious.
Family dinner, festival pass and plane tickets
– I see I have made a mistake. I am going to retire now, yes, Hegdal told Stavanger Aftenblad earlier Wednesday.
She has held the position since October 2023.
The misuse of party funds emerged in an internal review of the accounts for 2023 which was carried out this spring. Among other things, Hegdal has used Stavanger Høyre’s funds for a family dinner, festival passes and plane tickets.
Stavanger Conservative Party has now initiated an internal process to find a new mayoral candidate from among the Conservative Party’s other members of the city council.
– A very sad case
Conservative leader Erna Solberg refers to it as a very sad and serious matter.
– I take note of Sissel Knutsen Hegdal’s decision and think it seems like a wise decision to resign, as I know this case, says Solberg to TV 2.
– At the same time, I would like to thank her for her political efforts for the Conservative Party over many years and hope that she has good people around her now. She needs that, she adds.
The police will assess
The police can start an investigation independently if they have received anything from an aggrieved person, says law officer on duty Anne Mette Dale Stavanger Aftenblad.
She speaks on a general basis.
– For now, this is completely premature. After all, we don’t know more about the case than what we read in the newspaper. But in general it is the case that we can open a case and go to public prosecution if we become aware of criminal matters, regardless of whether a report has been submitted or not, says Dale.
In a case where it is a mayor, this could become aggravating in a possible criminal case, says Dale.
#Stavanger #mayors #spending #police
2024-09-05 07:31:14
