Five men in the Bergen area were arrested early Wednesday morning and charged with aggravated fraud, according to Bergensavisen. Norway's economic crime authority, Økokrim, alleges the men overbilled for services provided to Nato vessels in Norwegian harbors between 2021 and 2025. The preliminary estimate of the overbilling is approximately eleven million Norwegian kroner.
The arrests followed a large-scale police operation that included searches at multiple locations in the Bergen area on Wednesday, Bergensavisen reports. Økokrim has asked that four of the five suspects be held in custody for two weeks, with restrictions on correspondence and visits.
Why it matters
The case lands as defense spending rises across Nato member states, a trend Økokrim says raises the risk of financial misconduct. First state prosecutor Marianne Bender told Bergensavisen that the matter is serious precisely because budgets are growing, and that authorities intend to respond firmly to economic crime in this area. The allegation that public defense funds were siphoned through inflated invoices touches on how allied navies procure routine services in foreign ports — a low-profile but steady stream of spending.
Court appearances and custody requests
Proceedings at the district court began at 12:45 on Wednesday, with narrow corridors crowded before the first hearings. Journalists, defense lawyers, Økokrim staff and police officers moved through the same spaces before the suspects arrived with their counsel and entered their assigned courtrooms, according to Bergensavisen.
Bender requested that four of the men be remanded for two weeks with letter and visitor bans. Økokrim argues there is a risk that evidence could be tampered with, and that releasing four of the men would not be safe at this stage of the investigation.
The fifth suspect was not subject to a custody request. Bender told Bergensavisen that the suspicion against him has not weakened, but that Økokrim did not find grounds to hold him. Decisions from Hordaland district court on whether the men will be detained were expected later in the day.
The suspects and the company under scrutiny
All five men are connected, or have been connected, to the same company, which has offices in Bergen. Bergensavisen understands the company has operated as a subcontractor. Økokrim has so far kept its cards close on the investigation and on the roles the suspects are alleged to have held.
One of those arrested is a Bergen multimillionaire who owns numerous businesses across different sectors, including the company now under scrutiny. He also owns a number of expensive properties. He denies any criminal wrongdoing.
His defense lawyer, Ole-Petter Grythe Hoff, told Bergensavisen that his client is shaken and that the arrest came completely out of the blue. Hoff emphasized that the man does not have an operational role in the company he owns.
When Bergensavisen contacted the company on Thursday morning, the phone was answered by a person who declined to give a name. The man said the company only knows what Økokrim has released and that it does not wish to comment in the media.
Another suspect is represented by Erik Johan Mjelde. According to Mjelde, this client holds no management position or ownership stake in the company. The lawyer described him as an ordinary employee with no influence over which overarching agreements were entered into or what markups were applied.
Mjelde said the man has two small children at home and woke on Wednesday morning to find three police cars outside. The lawyer called it completely shocking and said his client had no idea he was under investigation.
Defense lawyer Thomas Lynum told Bergensavisen that the case is taking a heavy toll on the man he represents and on his family. He stressed that his client, like the other arrested men, does not plead guilty. According to Lynum, the man has simply been an employee going about a busy working day and doing his job.
A fourth suspect, represented by Torbjørn Kolås Sognefest, asked to be released when his custody hearing took place. Bergensavisen was told after the arrest that he finds the accusations incomprehensible but is nonetheless cooperating with Økokrim and answering questions.
What to watch
The immediate focus is the Hordaland district court's rulings on detention, which were expected during the day, and whether Økokrim's request for two weeks of custody with communication restrictions is granted for the four men.
