Røkke fends off espionage charges from prison

Kjell Inge Røkke, now serving prison time on bribery charges.
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Norwegian industrialist Kjell Inge Røkke, currently serving a prison term that stems from bribery charges, is now defending himself against new charges that he and the firm he controls, Aker, spied on rivals six years ago.

The industrial espionage allegations against Røkke and Aker are contained in a police report obtained and broadcast by national television channel TV2.

The police report was later replaced with a new version given to TV2 in which Røkke's and Aker's names were deleted. TV2 also reported that the police later halted their own investigation of the charges after serious threats were lodged against the police investigators involved.

TV2's staff also was allegedly threatened during the course of its reporting, and has received offers of police protection.

'Surrealistic'
Geir Arne Drangeid, spokesman for Røkke and Aker, flatly denied that either had carried out espionage during the dramatic takeover of industrial firm Kværner in 2001. He told news service E24 Tuesday that "the most important thing now is for all involved to lay their cards on the table and clear this up."

He called it "completely surrealistic" to be "dragged into" such a case. Newspaper VG reported that Røkke's initial reaction to the TV2 report, which he watched on a prison television along with other inmates, was an emphatic "tull," the Norwegian equivalent of "nonsense."

Police on Tuesday afternoon repeated claims made in their revised version that they now had no reason to suspect any specific persons or companies. They stressed that they weren't being pressured to change their earlier report.

Police officials also decided during a so-called "crisis meeting" Tuesday afternoon that they would have their own internal affairs division investigate the leaking of the police report to TV2.

Bugged a boardroom
The police report written in April of this year claimed that a security firm in 2001 bugged the boardroom of Oslo funds manger Odin, which didn't support Røkke's and Aker's bid for the nearly bankrupt Kværner at the time. Odin officials, according to the police report, suspected that Røkke and Aker "had access to sensitive information through use of illegal methods."

The police report even claimed that Odin officials found evidence of the alleged bugging, which police also suggested was carried out with the help of personnel from the British special services SAS.

Odin chief Leif Ola Rød has since backtracked on that claim, saying it was "wrong," and that "we didn't find anything that confirmed our suspicions."

The police themselves also backtracked on their report, saying in a new letter delivered to TV2 that "we will clarify that the police, after closer investigation, have no reason to believe that fund manager Odin confirmed... suspicions about irregularities, or that suspicions have been directed at specific companies or persons."

Others feared bugging, too
Newspaper Aftenposten, meanwhile, reported that others involved in the power struggle over Kværner also feared they were being bugged. Among them was Bernt Stiluf Karlsen, the current head of Oslo's Port Authority who at the time represented the Russian firm Yukos in the bid for Kværner.

Karlsen's consulting firm ended up changing all its phones because experts believed they were tapped. Karlsen's firm’s computer equipment was also broken into.

Aftenposten reported that Kværner personnel and a lawyer involved in the takeover struggle also feared they were victims of industrial espionage.

Odin had owned nearly 7 percent of Kværner. Røkke and Aker eventually succeeded in taking over Kværner and Røkke merged it into the Aker concern.

Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund