As more and more details emerge from wild partying and questionable holidays tied to Norway’s royal family, the country’s national police intelligence agency PST felt a need to defend and explain how its employees guard the royals and other top Norwegian officials. “They’re not personal advisers,” said their boss, Hanne Finanger.
Questions have arisen over how Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit could simply send one of her bodyguards to a hotel in January 2013 while she stayed in the waterfront estate of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Palm Beach, Florida. That was revealed in her own highly controversial correspondence with Epstein after US justice officials recently released millions of his documents, emails and text messages.
Questions have also arisen over the security of other royal family members after it was publicly confirmed in court last week that the crown princess’ adult son, Marius Borg Høiby, has brought many acquaintances home to the crown couple’s royal estate at Skaugum for impromptu late-night parties over the years. They often arrived at Skaugum unannounced and partied in a basement room downstairs while other royal family members slept upstairs.
PST chief Beate Gangås and her colleague Finanger confirmed this week that PST is “in dialogue” with the state police’s economic crime unit Økokrim regarding their investigation after the Epstein files were released. Økokrim charged former prime minister and president of the Parliament Thorbjørn Jagland with serious corruption, while questions also arise over whether there have been any illegal sharing of information or mishandling of confidential information.
Finganger responded at a press conference this week that PST isn’t legally allowed to do “background checks” on all the “private persons that royal family members or other state officials meet along the way.” She stressed that the bodyguards’ “primary assignment is physical personal protection,” adding that “bodyguards are not personal- or professional advisers” to those they’re charged with protecting.
Finanger said PST is also responsible for the royals and other “persons of authority” while they’re out traveling. “It is, though, always those persons’ and his or her staff who decides where the travel takes them and who they will visit,” she added. “PST’s role in this process is to make them aware of the threat situation and make recommendations on security measures.”
In PST’s own portion of this year’s national security evaluation, the police agency reported that high-ranking Norwegians are unlikely to be targets of serious violent acts. They can, however, be exposed to espionage attempts. PST officials also said this week that the agency is “in dialogue” with the state police’s economic crime unit Økokrim regarding its ongoing investigations into other Norwegian officials whose association with Epstein was revealed in the released documents.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
