OSLO ATTACKS - WAS VERDENS GANG NEWSPAPER, ALSO A TARGET ?

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Verdens Gang (lit.: The way of the world or The course of the world), generally known as VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. The editor in chief is Torry Pedersen.

VG is Norway’s second largest print newspapers, measured in circulation, but has the largest number of readers, with a daily circulation of 233,295 copies (2010). It was for many years the largest newspaper in Norway, but was surpassed by Aftenposten in 2010.

It is often referred to as a red top newspaper. VG is also one of the most award-winning newspapers in Norway for its journalism. In 2010 the newspaper had 10 different revealing news-stories competing for the prestigious Skup-prisen.

VG was established by members of the resistance movement shortly after the country was liberated from German occupation in 1945. Christian A. R. Christensen served as its first editor in chief and the first issue was published on June 23, 1945.

VG is owned by the media conglomerate Schibsted, which also owns Norway’s largest newspaper, Aftenposten, as well as newspapers in Sweden and Estonia and shares in some of Norway’s larger regional newspapers. Verdens Gang is not affiliated with any political party.

• Read the last news on http://www.vg.no

July 22, 2011, a bomb explodes nearby the Prime Minister headquarter in Oslo :

The Verdens Gang building  is also damaged during the attack. Later it's an Youth Political meeting from AUF which is the target of a weapon assault increasing the number of victims to (91). Police has caught the murderer who is a native Norvegian of 32 years old.

March 2, 1995, the newspaper Verdens Gang revealed :

that AUF's Oslo branch had artificially inflated their membership numbers from 1992 to 1994, and as a result received NOK 600,000 more than they were entitled to in government grants. For each new member recruited, AUF received nearly NOK 300 from the Oslo City Council. The yearly membership fee was at the time NOK 30.

The scam was accomplished by transferring money from AUF's main bank account into AUF-treasurer Bjørn Jarle Rødberg Larsen's private bank account, from which he then transferred money back into AUF’s account to pay for new members. By doing this, AUF's membership was inflated by 2,300 between 1992 and 1994, AUF obtained more than NOK 600.000 from government funds.

• Courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org

Discover now more information about the four convicted after the publishing of the scandal in Verdens Gang newspaper with the following numeric report made by AAA Press on WEB 2.0 - Carpe diem passengers - GEO 66

Workers' Youth League membership scandal

The scandal was processed by the Oslo District Court between January and March, 1998. The court was led by Judge Torjus Gard, while the head prosecutor was Atle Roaldsøy. Defendant for Bjørn Jarle Rødberg Larsen was Tor Erling Staff, while Anders Hornslien was defended by Sigurd Klomsæt, Mathisen's defender was Erik Nadheim,

The treasurer and leader of AUF Oslo between 1992 to 1994 were charged with fraud. In 1992, AUF received NOK 283,000 too much in grants, the following year NOK 210,000 too much, and in 1994, NOK 120,000. Larsen and Elgsaas were both charged for all three incidents, while Hornslien was only charged for the first, while Mathisen was charged for the two last. Larsen was also charged with embezzlement of NOK 78,000. All four pleaded not guilty.

Ragnar Bøe Elgsaas

(born 1972) is a former Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was leader of the Oslo chapter of the Workers' Youth League (AUF) from 1993 until 1995, when he withdrew after the publishing of the Workers' Youth League membership scandal in Verdens Gang. In 1998, he was convicted of fraud.

Anders Hornslien

(born 6 December 1970 in Oslo) is a Norwegian media personality and politician for the Labour Party. He was the leader of the local chapter of the Workers' Youth League from 1991 to 1993, and served as a member of Oslo city council in the same period. During this time he became a controversial figure following the AUF membership scandal, for which he was sentenced to five months in jail.

He served in the position of deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo during the terms 1993–1997 and 1997–2001. During these terms he filled in for Bjørn Tore Godal and Jens Stoltenberg while they were appointed to cabinet positions.

No longer active in political positions, he worked as a television and radio presenter in Metropol TV and Kanal 24 respectively. Hornslien is openly gay, being the world's first member of parliament to enter a partnership union (in 1996), with former state secretary and political party fellow Vidar Ovesen. Hornslien has experienced harassment for his orientation.

Bjørn Jarle Rødberg Larsen

(born 1974) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. In 1998, he was convicted of fraud, following the Workers' Youth League membership scandal.

Between 1992 and 1994, Røberg Larsen was treasurer and youth secretary of the Oslo chapter of the Workers' Youth League (AUF). While the organization in reality had about 500 members, Røberg Larsen had informed the municipal authorities that they had 1201 members, resulting in fraud of NOK 283,000 in 1992. He was convicted of fraud of NOK 210,000 in 1993 and NOK 120,000 in 1994. On 12 December 1996, he was excluded from AUF. He is now chairman in the Elverum branch of the Labour Party.

Anders Greif Mathisen

(born 1975) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was treasurer of the Oslo chapter of the Workers' Youth League (AUF) from 1994 until 1995, when he withdrew after the publishing of the Workers' Youth League membership scandal in Verdens Gang. In 1998, he was convicted of fraud, receiving a suspended sentence of 90 days.

In 2011, Mathisen gave a newspaper interview where he denied the Holocaust, stating that “There is no evidence the gas chambers or mass graves existed. Even reputable Holocaust historians have admitted it cannot be established.

Verdict

All four charged were convicted of fraud on 21 March 1998. In all major matters, the prosecutors submission of evidence was supported by the judge. The court felt that the fraud was the result of a planned work, and had been ongoing for several years.

The court did not believe that the organisation did not have financial motives for the fraud. The court also stated that an organisation culture was not mitigating circumstances. It also stated that the leaders and treasurers had a personal responsibility. The court also felt that not following a requirement from the city issued in 1992, requiring AUF to clean up its membership register system, was in the disfavour of the indicted.

All four indicted were found guilty and had to serve prison sentences. Both Mathisen and Hornslien chose to appeal to case to Borgarting Court of Appeal, but this was dismissed by the appellate court, ruling that the appeal did not have a chance to be met.

• Read more on http://YouthLeagueMembershipScandal

Picture courtesy - static03.vg.no