Pizzabakeren, Sweden | Full war of words in the Pizzabakeren case: – He lied about his background

On Monday, Nettavisen reported on Norwegian Thomas Bekkelund, who last week was separated as a Pizzabakeren franchise driver in the Swedish city of Jönköping.

Bekkelund had run the restaurant for less than a year, when during the spring a disagreement arose with the Swedish branch of Pizzabakeren central.

He told Nettavisen that he had several times tried to discuss with the management how the contract they had entered into had been followed, where Bekkelund then thought the Pizza Baker had not complied with his side of the agreement.

Was separated and the police were called

He also hired a lawyer to review the deal. It all ended with the chairman of the board and general manager of Pizzabakeren in Sweden centrally lined up in his restaurant on Wednesday morning last week.

There, Bekkelund believes that he was exposed to threats when he did not agree to discuss the contractual relationship between them without a lawyer present.

The police were then called and the Pizzabakeren bosses left the place. Later in the day, access to checkout and ordering systems was cut and they had to close. The next day, someone had also removed the Pizzabakeren signs from the restaurant.

Hans Erik Lewin in Pizzabakeren Invest Sverige has a different opinion of how the bad relationship with Bekkelund arose. You can read the answer at the bottom of this case:

– Lied about his background

Now the chairman of the board of Pizzabakeren Invest Sweden, Hans Erik Lewin, comes with more details, and concludes that Thomas Bekkelund should never have started as a franchise driver for Pizzabakeren in the first place.

He tells Nettavisen that they became acquainted with pages about Bekkelund’s background which they believe he has failed to inform about.

– In the case of Jönköping, we have failed in the recruitment of franchisees for that unit. Bekkelund lied about his background, finances and more, and we unfortunately bought his lies. It is entirely up to us that we failed in the control of his background and thus the recruitment, Hans Erik Lewin in Pizzabakeren Invest Sverige told Nettavisen.

This is stated by Lewin as the basis for the termination of the contract:

– We have, in consultation with our lawyers, terminated the franchise agreement for Bekkelund due to a significant and serious breach of agreement with immediate effect and have full coverage for this in the agreement, says Pizzabakeren Sverige boss.

The specific breaches of agreement referred to in the letter of termination are that Bekkelund «has acted disloyally and through his actions seriously damaged the chain’s interests. He has also created badwill that has damaged the entire chain.

Also read: Stein Erik Hagen buys pizza chain

Denies background lies

Thomas Bekkelund does not agree that he “lied about his background, finances and more”, as Hans Erik Lewin claims.

– I’m not surprised by anything from that edge. My background was never part of the conversations. What I should have lied about is therefore difficult to answer. This with my background, as they call it, came out only after I asked questions about the terms of the contract, says Bekkelund and continues:

– I have nothing to hide in my background that should be an obstacle to the recruitment of me, or have relevance to the case here in Sweden, the Norwegian says.

Also read: The Rema 1000 boss goes on the day

Gave false explanation 20 years ago

What Lewin is referring to with Bekkelund’s background is a sentence he received in 2001. He was then sentenced to 30 days in a labor colony for giving a false explanation to the police in an investigation.

The case in which Bekkelund was then convicted of perjury was the investigation of Tina Jørgensen, who disappeared on September 24, 2000 and was found dead a month later. The case has been widely reported in the media, and as of today no one has been convicted of the murder.

Bekkelund has previously been open about the incident in local media in Stavanger, where he comes from.

– I regret that I lied. I made a stupid choice that put me in that situation. I can never abdicate responsibility. I would love to have it undone, he said the newspaper Fædrelandsvennen i 2018.

Wanted to start again in Sweden

– For 18 years I have lived with the accusations. With your eyes. The expulsion, he told the newspaper in 2018 and asked people to understand that the verdict has nothing to do with the murder itself.

He tells Nettavisen that the focus the case has placed on him in the local community is one of the reasons why he wanted to start again in a completely different place – and thus ended up in the Swedish city of Jönköping.

– I think it’s ridiculous that you have to obscure something that is 21 years back in time. It is not relevant to the problem in Sweden. You would think you will never finish the case, says a resigned Bekkelund.

–