TOUGH: Bjørnar Moxnes has been reported for theft at a grocery store. He has accepted a summons from the police. Photo: Harald Henden / VG
Storting representative Bjørnar Moxnes admits five new thefts from a grocery store in Oslo. He has accepted a summons from the police, and says that he has mental health problems.
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– I have had some difficult years personally, which have resulted in self-destructive behaviour, says Bjørnar Moxnes to VG.
– It is difficult to say publicly, but now I do. You have the latest outcome of this in this latest case, you saw another this summer, he says.
It was this summer that it became known that the former Rødt leader had stolen a pair of sunglasses from a shop in Gardermoen. The theft resulted in enormous media attention. Moxnes then took sick leave and resigned as party leader.
On Friday last week, VG contacted Moxnes regarding a new police report against him, which concerned several new thefts from a grocery store in Oslo in October and November.
WATCH: This is how VG’s commentator reacts to the news:
Small amounts
The police received the report last week.
– He has received a summons for five violations of Section 321 of the Criminal Code (theft), which he has accepted, says police attorney Maria Helene Husebye Fossen.
She continues:
– These are small amounts each time, under NOK 500. We have not been informed by the store of the exact price of the goods, says Fossen.
According to the submission that VG has been given access to, there is a total of six packages of cheese and one package of cured salmon, distributed among the five cases.
Demanding over years
VG conducts the interview with Moxnes over video. He is very affected, and says he is unable to meet physically.
He is now opening up about parts of his personal life that he never spoke openly about before – not even to those closest to him.
– It doesn’t seem on the outside how I’ve really been. As a politician, I have training in keeping a mask. I have also not been good at telling those close to me how I really feel, he tells VG.
– It is really difficult to admit to myself and everyone else that I have a mental health problem. But I both want to – and must – do something about it. I also get help with that.
On Friday, Moxnes was in for questioning at the Oslo police district.
– I received a preliminary injunction A reaction to an offense where a sum of money is paid as punishment. of 15,000, which I accepted on the spot.
During the interview, Moxnes says that there are several of VG’s questions that he is unable or unwilling to address. Like why he continued to steal after he was caught this summer, when did he realize he had a problem and how long has this been going on.
Bjørnar Moxnes has been leader of the Red party from 2012 to 2023. Under his leadership, the party has gone from being a mini-party to being represented in the Storting and breaking the barrier in 2021.
Moxnes was the party’s only representative in the Storting in the period 2017 to 2021.
On his own Facebook page, he writes: “JI am sorry that I have disappointed many people and that this is getting in the way of the important work that Rødt does.»
MY RESPONSIBILITY: Bjørnar Moxnes says that he is having a tough time – but that he will take responsibility for his own actions. Photo: HELGE MIKALSEN / VG
– Does it hurt
Moxnes is affected by the situation when he talks to VG, but is determined to share that he is struggling.
– I’m in pain. What keeps me going is the support from the people around me, he says, and elaborates:
– But it is also extra painful because this hurts them in particular. It is important for me to say that these are my actions for which I am solely responsible. And it is my responsibility to address this and get professional help. I am working on that.
He adds that he is asking for peace for the sake of himself and his loved ones going forward.
– I need rest. So do those around me.
Moxnes states that from Monday he has been on sick leave by his doctor until 27 November.
NEED CALM: Bjørnar Moxnes says that he and those around him need calm going forward. Photo: Naina Helén Jåma / VG
Can’t withdraw
– What do you think about your chances of holding office as an elected representative in the future?
– It means a lot to me to be able to contribute to Rødt’s work at the Storting and I am determined to do as good a job as I can when I am back at work again, he says.
Moxnes resigned this summer as leader of the party Rødt, but the office as a parliamentary representative cannot be resigned – and Moxnes has been elected for Oslo until the next parliamentary election in 2025.
– Do you think that this matter can in any way affect your ability to do your job as a representative of the Storting – or affect your confidence in the job?
– I think my problems have primarily gone beyond my private life, but something else is the trust people have in me as a politician. It is my responsibility to rectify that, he says and adds:
– I am sorry for all those I have disappointed.
– What are you going to do to restore this trust?
– What I can do both for the trust of voters and those close to me is to deal with the problems in a proper way. And that’s what I’m starting to do.
Moxnes states that he has informed Rødt’s parliamentary group about the case.
Published:
Published: 13.11.23 at 15:29
Updated: 13.11.23 at 15:49
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2023-11-13 14:29:41
#Bjørnar #Moxnes #arrested #thefts #mental #health #problem
