Ap politician admits embezzlement: – Has laid all the cards on the table

According to the party, a member of the Lier Labor Party has embezzled money belonging to the municipal party. The case was reported to the police on Friday.

The embezzlementStealing something that you have access to but that belongs to someone else. For example: a cashier in a sports team takes money from the till. The treasurer has access to the sports team’s money, but is not allowed to take the money for himself. The difference between embezzlement and theft is that the embezzler has legal access to, for example, the money. will correspond to an amount of approximately two million kroner, VG is informed by the party.

The party reported the relationship after they became suspicious of the member.

– Our goal is to handle the situation in an orderly and responsible manner. We are cooperating with the police and will contribute to a fair investigation of the incident, says Per Arne Bredesen, leader of the Lier Labor Party, in a press release.

The man has also been reported by a local organization in LO.

Leader Per Arne Bredesen of the Lier Labor Party does not wish to comment on the matter beyond what is stated in the press release.

– These are three weeks I never want to experience again, says Bredesen to Lierposten, which wrote about the case first.

VG has contacted Kim Ellertsen at the Elden law firm, which represents the Ap politician.

He says that his client recognizes the actual circumstances, and will help to inform the case as best as possible.

– My client has put all his cards on the table, and cooperates fully with both the organizations and the police, says the lawyer.

The law firm has not received documents in the case, but has had several conversations with the Ap politician.

According to the lawyer, the details of the extent of the case are not yet known, but it should be a significant amount.

– This case is rooted in very difficult personal relationships, but my client understands the seriousness of the case and is prepared to accept the consequences of his actions. The client is very distraught at having abused the trust that has been shown to him over many years in both LO and the Labor Party, he says.

The Labor politician is now on sick leave and has expressed his relief at finally being exposed, says the lawyer.

– No overview of the embezzlement

The person has also held a position in a local organization for LO. The local leader does not want to comment to VG about the matter.

He further refers to regional leader Jan Petter Gundersen in LO Buskerud.

Gundersen confirms that LO has reported the person concerned.

– This is about a person who has held office in both camps, both Lier Ap and LO. Therefore, it was natural for us at LO to ask questions and check that things have taken place according to the book where the person has had access, he says to VG.

– How did you discover the embezzlement?

– We discovered that there are irregular conditions linked to the accounts the person has had access to. The report was delivered by the local team in LO on Friday. They are the ones who own the accounts in question. We in LO Norway have assisted them.

– Does that mean that there is embezzlement from several accounts?

– We don’t know that yet. We do not have an overview of the size of the amount and have handed over all data to Økokrim. But we are talking about more than 50,000, so to speak, Gundersen replies.

Resigns all positions

The AP politician who has been reported has given notice that the person in question is resigning from all positions, the regional leader states.

– It is in the nature of the matter that the organization had stripped the person of all positions as a consequence, but the person himself has given notice that he is stepping down from all positions.

With 25 years’ experience in LO, the regional manager in Buskerud has never experienced anything like this, he says.

– Not of the size this case seems to be.

VG has not yet received a comment from the South-East police district about the case.

In April at the latest, an employee of KrF was reported for embezzlement of around one million kroner.

According to Vårt Land, the case is the biggest embezzlement that has ever happened in a political party.