Hans Sverre Sjøvold resigns as PST chief – VG

Updated less than 10 minutes ago

–

– The service needs a boss who has his full and complete attention directed towards solving a very important social mission and in that way have the community’s trust. This is more important than ever in the security situation we are now in. There has been a lot of negative attention directed at my person in recent weeks. Consideration for PST’s trust in society and reputation must come first, says Sjøvold in the press release.

The resignation takes effect immediately.

– Sjøvold has today asked to resign his position as PST chief. I respect Sjøvold’s decision, and believe it is a wise decision, says Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) in the press release.

Sjøvold goes off in the wake of VG’s revelations that a police officer was paid NOK 1.2 million in exchange for resigning his as a case officer at the weapons office in the Oslo police district. The man had told the Special Unit about pressure and threats from colleagues and leaders to accept three weapons the then police chief in Oslo wanted to get rid of.

Sjølvold had kept the weapons illegally for several years. Something VG revealed already in 2019.

Stored weapons illegally

To VG, the Minister says the following:

– It is important that there is order in the police. Sjøvold has made a mistake for which he himself has acknowledged and paid fines. Now I relate to the fact that he has asked to resign.

– In your opinion, has he done anything reprehensible?

– As Sjøvold himself says, it is demanding to stand in the type of negative attention that has been and at the same time have full focus on the social mission to be solved. I respect the decision he has made.

When asked if Mehl has asked him to resign, she answers that on Thursday he himself asked her to resign. She will not say anything about what is now happening with his security clearance.

–

Failed to tell

That he had kept weapons in violation of the law Sjøvold failed to tell when he was asked to give the Minister of Justice a full account of the weapons case in 2019. Some Ministry of Justice first claimed he had done.

After VG revealed the illegal weapons, three justice ministers have expressed full confidence in the PST chief. Including Mehl, who last did it just over a month ago.

In the summer of 2020, the Sjøvold Special Unit fined NOK 50,000 for illegal possession and storage of weapons.

Two days ago, a joint control committee in the Storting decided to investigate why PST chief Hans Sverre Sjøvold was allowed to keep the security clearance after having stored weapons illegally for several years.

– The letter from us, with questions to Minister of Justice Mehl, is maintained. The departure does not affect the control committee’s treatment, says committee leader Peter Frølich (H) to VG.

– It stinks of this case

Justice politician Andreas Sjalg Unneland (SV) believes it is a completely natural decision for Sjøvold to resign now.

– It stinks of this case, and it has done so for a long time. It became harder and harder to get answers to the questions we asked.

Unneland believes it is serious that Sjøvold did not provide the correct information in his authorization interview before he took office.

– There are many things with this case that have been problematic and have been for a long time. It is obvious to us, he says, and mentions among other things “people who have had each other’s backs”.

Justice politician Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik (V) is among those who in the last week have asked Minister of Justice Mehl a number of questions about Sjøvold and the weapons case. She says the following to VG on Thursday:

– It’s right that he withdraws. The top leader of PST is in a very special position of power and is completely dependent on trust. Had he remained seated, it would have led to a lasting loss of reputation. Now I expect that we will get all the details on the table, including the ministry’s role in the case.

Stick to Mehl

The chairman of the Justice Committee, Per Willy Amundsen (Frp), understands that Sjøvold has resigned, but he comes up with a sting against the Minister of Justice:

– I register that the same minister who just a few days ago expressed confidence now comments that it is a wise decision that the same person now resigns, says Amundsen, who explains that he feels that Mehl has not been willing to go into , and absorb the information that was available to her.

– There are to a very high degree some questions left after this case. The Minister could have gone into the matter herself, but instead she declared her trust the head of PST, without examining the circumstances that VG has made the public aware of.

Should have been clarified earlier

The Conservative Party’s deputy chair of the justice committee, Sveinung Stensland, believes Sjøvold’s resignation was the only right thing the situation has become.

– This case has been circulated and gone a little too long in the media, I think, and it has led many to question the trust in the PST chief. Here, things should have been clarified earlier, says Stensland.

Rødt also thinks it is wise for Sjøvold to resign.

– Confidence in Sjøvold as head of PST has been severely weakened. We as a society are dependent on having high trust in bodies such as PST and this case could in the worst case weaken this trust considerably, says Tobias Drevland Lund.

Interim Chief

Roger Berg, who has been assistant manager for Sjølvold, will temporarily take over as PST manager.

After leaving Sjøvold, communications director in PST, Trond Hugubakken the following to VG:

– Our focus now is to take care of the country’s security, and we will continue that work regardless.

–