The bank clerk in his 20s has been sentenced to six years in prison for embezzlement and money laundering. The verdict was appealed on the spot.
In Trøndlag District Court, the defendant explained that gambling addiction was the reason he embezzled nearly NOK 75 million from the savings bank. Photo: Ole Martin Wold / NTBPublished: Published:
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The verdict was delivered to the accused at 1pm on Monday in Trondheim courthouse.
The prosecution asked the district court to sentence the man in his 20s to six years in prison.
Defense attorney Christian Wiig thought the punishment was far too severe, and asked accordingly NRK that parts of the sentence were made conditional.
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Charged with embezzlement and money laundering
Between December 2022 and January 2023, while he was working as a temporary worker, the man embezzled from Sparebank 1 SMN for almost NOK 75 million. He is also accused of laundering over NOK 65 million.
The prosecution has referred to the case as the biggest bank embezzlement in Norwegian history.
The man in his 20s has pleaded guilty to embezzlement, but stated in court that he was unsure whether he was also guilty of money laundering.
State prosecutor Eli Reberg Nessimo requested that the bank deputy be sentenced to six years’ unconditional imprisonment. Photo: Ned Alley / NTB
Most of the proceeds from the embezzlement – a total of 70.7 million – were transferred from the defendant’s account in DNB to the brokerage house IG Europe in Germany. Over NOK 50 million of this money was lost in failed investments in securities with sky-high risks.
His former employer, Sparebank 1 SMN, has announced that they will sue the man for over NOK 51 million in a civil case.
Gambling addict
In court, the bank clerk explained that he had been struggling with depression and gambling addiction for several years, until he started embezzling money from the bank.
– I used gambling as a way to suppress depressive feelings, said the man about the risky investments.
Two forensic psychiatric experts have submitted a statement to the court, which concludes that the defendant suffers from a pathological gambling addiction. He has also received treatment for gambling addiction following his arrest.
2023-12-18 12:07:02
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