Jens Ulltveit-Moe, the president of the Confederation of Norwegian Business
and Industry (NHO), had to face hard criticism for supporting Norwegian
Statoil in the controversial Iran case, and the story continues. New
information reveal that one of the NHO’s president own companies has paid
large sums to Iranian business leaders.
(Foto: Cornelius Poppe/Scanpix)
The company Umoe Schat-Harding, owned by Ulltveit-Moe, has according to the
Norwegian paper VG, sent NOK 1.2 millions (USD 170.000) to Iran to solve an
argument regarding the sale of nine lifeboats to the Iranian oil giant IOEC.
Stinks
Ulltveit-Moe has had to face hard criticism after he in September publicly
defended the Statoil leadership in the Iran scandal in TV 2 Nettavisen.
The NHO president admits that the case may be seen in a bad light.
“I think the whole thing just stinks, and I really do not like it,”
Ulltveit-Moe said.
Ulltveit-Moe said that he will review the entire case when he returns from
Brazil where he is on a business committee which is accompanying the
Norwegian king and queen under their official visit to the country.
Got money after help
The management in Umoe Schat-Harding identifies the payment to Iran as a
“return commission.” A document signed by Jarle Roth, Schat-Hardings then
current head manager, the money “took care of the people who needed special
attention in this case.”
The nine lifeboats the Umoe company sold to Iran were partly damaged during
the transport and the Iranian oil company therefore refused to pay the rest
of the costs, approximately NOK 7 million (USD 1 mill.).
After a payment of about one million Norwegian krone to an Iranian owned
consultant company, Umoe Schat-Harding managed to get approximately five
million from the oil company in Iran.
bil/caravan
