Hilde Thorkiltson has been charged with major corruption in connection with a development case in the municipality. She and one of the accused were sentenced to up to ten years in prison.
Thorkiltson, who has always claimed his innocence, has been mayor of Nittal Municipality in Wicken since 2011. In December, he was suspended from office on corruption charges.
At the end of August, a five-week trial began at Lillestrom. Here, the attorney sentenced the mayor to one year and six months in prison.
On Tuesday, a unanimous verdict came from the district court in Romerik and Clamdall, where both Thorkiltson and the co-accused were acquitted.
– I’m so relieved to believe. “I’m very happy to be with my family tonight,” Torkilton, who is clearly marked on the phone, told NRK.
He did not want to comment further on the matter today.
– Seems obvious
The mayor of Nittal says here that Chloe (V) is happy on behalf of Thorkiltson.
This is what his defender, Thomas Skelfred, says the verdict is clear.
– The decision of the court is that it is not bribery, and therefore not corruption, as we have always meant. Instead, the court considers the payment to be part of a completely normal business relationship, he says.
– The court denied that she had anything to do with the alleged money laundering and the appointment of Hilde Thorkilton as mayor.
Defender of Thomas Schzelfred Hilde Thorkilton.
Photo: Vidar Root / NTP
Notice received
The money transfer of 125,000 kroner was at the center of the case against Thorkiltson and the co-accused.
According to Skokrim, the amount was transferred from the person’s company to his personal account on November 20, 2013. He then transferred it to his then-wife, who transferred the money to Bare Fine Klær AS. Thorkiltson owned half of the company.
In September 2019, the municipality received the announcement of the mayor. This year, she and four other people in Nittal were secretly interrogated by Skokrimal.
In December last year, Thorkiltson and co-accused were charged with major corruption. The charges against the other three were dropped.
The center of the case was a housing project in Bizornholtia, north of the municipality. It is planned to build 300 houses here.
Environmental crime believed that 125,000 items were being bribed because of human rights benefits in the project.
– Large load
Schzelfried believes the case highlights the importance of handling notice and private hearings in a way that responsibly protects the legal protection of the accused.
– This was a great burden to Hilde Thorkilton. She has dedicated her entire adult life to the community, so it felt incredibly up to date and especially stressful. Schzelfred says the lawsuit has had serious consequences for her both professionally and personally.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
