the Breach of våpenloven ended recently with a gigantbot from the Police of 1.5 million to Tolldirektoratet. The fine was approved by the Ministry of finance, as the agency is subject to.
This is not the only time tolldirektør Øystein Børmers agency may have gone over the limit in the last year. Tolldirektoratets offense, the violation and the attorney fees have been a costly affair:
In march last year, got Tolldirektoratet 900.000 million in fees from Clients after having driven illegal surveillance of Norwegian motorists. The fee is appealed by the Tolldirektoratet. In this case, the used Tolldirektoratet 1.4 million to the attorney-investigations. In addition to the fine of 1.5 million for breach of våpenloven, Tolldirektoratet so far paid 187 000 € for legal assistance in connection with the police investigation. Tolldirektør Børmer also risk a personal fine of that he did not stop I in the past, and get in connection with covered their personal expenses to the attorney.
It was in February last year that NRK revealed objectionable conditions around Tolldirektoratets pepper spray-armament. Tolldirektoratet defied among other things, advice from their own lawyers, and instructed officers to carry pepper spray, although the practice was punishable.
Tolldirektør Øystein Børmer defended I in an NRK interview. He announced also that he himself had been known that the permission was missing the first weeks previously.
– By a procedural so was not the right extended. It I was made aware of in mid-January, said Børmer to NRK.
Øystein Børmer has been tolldirektør since 2017.
Photo: Stian Pedersen/NRK
Notes NRK has access to shows that tolldirektøren was notified about the lack of permit over half a year earlier. Tolldirektør Børmer also received suggestions from its own staff to withdraw peppersprayen, but he allowed the illegal practice to continue.
Tolldirektør Børmer is referred to The information, but has not responded to any of The questions in the opportunity. His lawyer, Svein Holden, says to NRK that Børmer don’t want to respond because the matter lies with the attorney general.
In a classified note to tolldirektørens the senior management team, written by kontrollavdelingen in Tolldirektoratet in June 2018, it is disclosed in detail what tolldirektøren was referred to by the information. It is pointed out, inter alia, that the trial for the pepper spray-armaments had expired:
“We have therefore officials, which currently carries pepper spray in service, while the basis for doing this is still unclear.” “The current permissions from the police to carry pepper spray expiration 31.12.2017, as these were related to the trial.” “To withdraw the pepper spray from officers who already got this delivered, and who regularly practice and train on the use and handling of such spray, seems to be appropriate both operational and HSE considerations.”
When the note was written had customs officers already gone with the pepper spray in the five and a half months without a dispensation from the Police.
In the note says further that the tolldirektøren was presented for several possible action options. One of the proposals was to revoke the peppersprayen:
“the Use of pepper spray ends until further use is decided. Distributed pepper spray to be collected”. “To apply for extended permission from the police, tentative to 1. June 2019”. So black tollsjef Øystein Børmer questions from NRK about when he first time got to know that Tolldirektoratet lacked permission from the Police. You need javascript to see the video.
So black tollsjef Øystein Børmer questions from NRK about when he first time got to know that Tolldirektoratet lacked permission from the Police.
instead of ordering the confiscation of peppersprayen, ba tolldirektøren and his management team kontrollavdelingen in Tolldirektoratet to seek the police to renew the temporary permission.
But the application was not sent. Thus continued the illegal I as before. So got tax collectors, which at this time had already been armed in over five months without the exemption, keep peppersprayen in the belt in conflict with the våpenloven in seven months.
Refuses to answer questions
This is some of the questions tolldirektør Øystein Børmer not have wanted to answer:
Why did you not confiscation of the pepper spray-weapons immediately, then in June of 2018 got to know that Tolldirektoratet lacked permission from the Police? In connection with a meeting 21. June 2018 you got the proposal to withdraw the weapons. Why did you not listen to this advice? Notified the Police after you in June 2018 was made aware that customs officials had been armed in the five and a half months without permission?
instead answers his lawyer, Svein Holden, as follows:
“If the attorney general orders issuance of a fine of opposite Børmer, a central question during the main hearing be what Børmer personally knew about the lack of permit to carry pepper spray. Questions NRK has presented to us is based on an assumption that the Børmer in June 2018 knew that the customs for a job lacked permission from the police.
Børmer have explained to the police that he first became acquainted with the missing permission in January 2019. The police were then immediately notified.
The detailed rationale regarding the timing of his knowledge can not be answered without forhåndsprosedere the case. Børmer must, therefore, at the present time refrain from giving further comments on the case’s opportunity”.
Svein Holden is tolldirektørens lawyer.
Photo: Runar Jørstad / NRK non-disclosed documents
Tolldirektoratet has even declined to provide the NRK access to documents that contain important information about the illegal pepper spray-I. The agency justified the refusal with the fact that it was about the internal procedure.
Almost all of the text in the multiple pages long, the minutes from two meetings in Tolldirektoratet was covered behind the black gossip.
Notes to meetings about the case, in the June 2018 and October 2018, was completely made secret. NRK have however got hold of the documents to the meeting. It is these documents that reveal what tolldirektøren and his management team got to know about the illegal I.
When NRK asked for transparency in the møtedokumenter about the pepper spray case, sent Tolldirektoratet these sladdede documents.
Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / NRK attorney general determines
Tolldirektør Øystein Børmer has previously stated in a press release that he refuses to adopt forelegget to him personally of 40,000 kroner for the violation of våpenloven.
In retrospect, it turned out that forelegget from the public prosecutor in Oslo was invalid, as it only is the attorney general who has the formal competence to utferdige fine to tolldirektør Øystein Børmer, who is appointed as a civil servant in the King in council.
public prosecutor confirms to NRK that they have received a recommendation from the public prosecutor in the case. The question of whether tolldirektøren will end up as the accused in a criminal case being it is thus now up to them to decide.
