Former director of Norsk Industri, Stein Lier-Hansen, stands accused of gross economic disloyalty and gross corruption in Oslo District Court on 5 March 2026. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB.

Stein Lier-Hansen (b. 1955), former State Secretary (Ap) and for nearly 20 years leader of Norsk Industri and thus responsible for wage negotiations in the front-line industries for just as long, has been sentenced to five years in prison and ten million kroner in compensation for gross corruption and gross economic disloyalty, including embezzlement of millions.

Worth noting is that Lier-Hansen was not credited with any mitigating circumstances for his generous largesse after it was proven that he had been extremely generous and kind in sharing, particularly with VG. Quite the contrary.

VG staggers on

But VG, which through one and the same journalist, Bjørn Haugan, frequented his restaurant table a total of 147 times, escapes all unpleasantness and can stagger on, somewhat the worse for wear in its claimed journalistic activity.

Now, VG through their bar journalist was not part of the case as regards the verdict and sentencing, not least because the same Haugan and VG invoked source protection and refused to answer the prosecutor’s questions about bar bills that had been covered to a total of well over 50,000 kroner (a generous estimate with an average of 350 kr per bar visit), an obvious abuse of the press’s sacred principle of protecting sources. In this case there was no source to protect; the bar bills were signed, and Haugan’s name was on them etc.

VG editor Gard Steiro during the criminal case against Stein Lier-Hansen in Oslo District Court on 5 March 2026. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB.

VG failed its source

Well, this is perhaps what one may describe as freeloading without consequences, a relatively well-known sport for some and a livelihood for others in today’s Norway.

But more than I found it weak that Haugan and VG did not have to come forward and answer the prosecutor’s questions. Here at least there was an opportunity to cast a mitigating light on a disloyal servant who was obviously quite generous, in isolation, at least in restaurants and bars. But no, no help from VG.

What do Jagland, Juul and Rød-Larsen get?

For extensive use of the company’s money without authority – for hunting and cabin trips, restaurant visits and extensive “source cultivation” etc. for allegedly well over ten million kroner – the top figure in society is now sent to prison for five years. That sounds strict.

I wonder what Thorbjørn Jagland, Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen have in store. Something tells me that these will be handled with a considerably more cautious legal grip, even though the cases are in principle equally serious and involve absolutely comparable sums of money. And this was high politics, without authority, to obvious detriment to the country and not least the Middle East, as we see today.

Whom Lier-Hansen harmed, apart from having appropriated ten million from Norsk Industri and treated others to a whole heap, I do not quite know. He harmed at least himself and his own reputation. Precisely having exploited his prominent position in society is highlighted in the premises as decisive for the strict sentence.

The question then remains: What about the aforementioned trio? What about their exploitation of their own prominent position in society? Here a great responsibility rests on Økokrim, the prosecuting authority and Norwegian justice: The people expect the aforementioned three to be viewed with equally strict eyes as Stein Lier-Hansen had to endure.

It is not clear whether Lier-Hansen will appeal the verdict, but it must be considered likely.