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Friday, March 29, 2024

Police director quits as embassy probe remains stalled

She’d recently signed on for another term, but the head of Norway’s state police directorate, Ingelin Killengreen, is quitting after all. Her resignation comes in the midst of a probe into controversial surveillance by the US Embassy that Killengreen has said she knew nothing about.

Ingelin Killengreen won't need to wear a uniform to work any more. PHOTO: Politidirektoratet

The probe, meanwhile, remains stalled because the US Embassy still hasn’t released key personnel involved from the confidentiality clauses they signed when they took the job. That’s prevented them from answering police questions. Embassy officials have claimed they’d cooperate with the probe into their surveillance operations in Oslo, but police handling the probe are still waiting for the cooperation to materialize.

“We have faith the problem will be solved, that the confidentiality clauses will be revoked,” Police Inspector Tom Erik Guttulsrød told newspaper Aftenposten. “In the meantime, our investigators are working with other cases in the district.”

The embassy probe was turned over to Guttulsrød’s district in Østfold, outside Oslo, because there were too many close ties between the embassy workers involved and Oslo police. Killengreen, age 63, has faced a barrage of questions over the surveillance but has insisted she neither approved it nor knew of it.

Now, after a long police career, she’s transferring over to the state ministry in charge of adminstration, renewal and churches. The cabinet minister in charge, Rigmor Aasrud, claimed she was “very glad” her ministry would get someone with Killengreen’s leadership experience.

Killengreen, who went public with her breast cancer treatment a few years ago, said it was “sad” to leave the police and Justice Ministry but claimed she looked forward to her new position. It wasn’t clear when she’d start in her new job.

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