– It will be good to finish this, says Vollvik to BA.
– Masks are no longer a business, are they?
– No, I have given away pallets of masks. In some foreign countries there is still a need for them, says the Trønder.
Mislabeled masks
On Wednesday, he appeared in the Gulating Court of Appeal.
He has appealed the verdict from the Hordaland district court last year, where he was sentenced to 45 days in unconditional prison.
The 55-year-old was found guilty of breaking the medical legislation relating to the sale of face masks during the corona pandemic.
In the course of four months, almost three years ago, he is said to have tried to sell at least 700,000 misbranded masks.
It was a 16-year-old girl who notified the police. She had been hired to participate in the repackaging of Chinese face masks, but sensing a bad idea, did some online searches and then notified the police on August 28, 2020.
The police raided several of Vollvik’s business addresses in Bergen and seized large quantities of medical equipment, as well as examined boxes and boss bags together with the Norwegian Medicines Agency. Vollvik was released from police custody after a day and a half.
“Particularly aggravating”
According to the indictment, he must have ensured that any covering letters of the “non-medical” type were removed.
When he was sentenced in the district court in May last year, the judges determined that both the extent of the repackaging and the timing of this matter qualifies the offense as “particularly aggravating”.
Now the “crook” as he referred to himself in the Court of Appeal gets a second chance to prove his innocence.
The former Chess founder and billionaire stated today that he has one million in annual income and approximately NOK 15 million in debt.
– Absolutely not, he answered the question from the judge if he pleaded guilty after the indictment.
During the trial last year, he apologized for having made any mistakes, but stubbornly claimed that it was never the intention to do anything criminal.
– It’s just nonsense
– I have not deliberately tried to deceive anyone for my own gain. It’s just bullshit. That I did not know the laws and regulations well enough is easy to see today. I apologize for that, said Vollvik.
Seven days have been set aside for the appeal case in the Gulating Court of Appeal, which is administered by judge Arild Oma.
According to the prosecution and the defenders, the presentation of evidence will be largely the same as in the district court.
– We will try to be clearer that I have not done anything illegal, says Vollvik to BA just before the court was set on Wednesday.
