On Friday, the recently appointed President of the Storting, Masud Gharahkhani (Labor Party) and Director of the Storting Marianne Andreassen met. They agree that not enough good work has been done in the commuter housing cases.
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Director of the Storting Marianne Andreassen was assured that the President of the Storting has confidence in her, when she and Gharahkhani met the press after the meeting.
– It has been a good meeting and I have had very clear expectations of myself, and I am very motivated to get started with the job we are facing, she says.
She also takes self-criticism on the job that the administration has done so far:
– There is a clear need for better rules, better control and better systems. I am motivated to go into that job. It has not been good enough.
–Gharahkhani has taken over the role after Eva Kristin Hansen resigned after it became known that the police have opened an investigation against Storting politicians’ use of commuter housing – a case complex she has been a part of. As of now, no one has the status of a suspect in the case.
– We have had an honest and sincere meeting. We agree that it has not been good enough as it has been. Now it must be cleaned up properly, says Gharahkhani.
The President of the Storting has told VG that he is concerned with cleaning up the various cases concerning commuter housing, the Storting’s schemes on holiday pay and ensuring transparency and legitimacy for the Storting.
– Seriousness revealed
Marianne Andreassen repeated several times that she is motivated to lead the work as director going forward, and says that she has not considered her position.
– We will go into a process where the rules will be clear, they will not be misunderstood. We will put in place better control and better systems.
– How strong is the self-criticism you take today in the way you have handled this?
– We have done many things, but we have not paid enough attention to the seriousness that has been revealed this autumn when it comes to our schemes. I am strongly motivated to go into that with the expectations that are on it.
This autumn, Marianne Andreassen has led the clean-up in the commuter housing scandal in the Storting. She has been criticized for the administration’s handling of the case.
Earlier this week, VG announced that the Storting as an employer as well may have broken the law in the commuter housing case.
Prior to the meeting, he stated to VG that he would raise these issues with the director of the Storting, and he also believed that everyone must be self-critical.
Have confidence
On VG’s questions whether Gharahkhani had confidence in Andreassen, he replied the following on Thursday:
– Eh, I think we will now clean up, and I will have a meeting with Marianne on Friday. What is important about that meeting is: What has the administration done so far, and what does the administration think about the way forward.
– But do you trust her to lead that work as Director of the Storting?
– Marianne is employed. She is the director of the Storting. And now we’ll clean up. And we will do that clean-up with both the presidency and the administration.
– Do you trust her or not?
– I have confidence in the administration we have, and then I will have these meetings to make sure that we are self-critical and that it is cleaned up.
He ended the interview by stating that he had confidence in her.
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