Justice
Judgement by the Oslo District Court on Friday 8 December on the case of registration of Catholics in the diocese lists through unlawful procedures: former treasurer cleared of a charge of fraud; diocese of Oslo sentenced to pay two million kroner for lack of control. It was made known by the diocese itself. Defence lawyer of the diocese Sindre-Jacob Bostad satisfied for acquittal, but disappointed for the fine: “It contradicts our perception of what happened. We don’t agree with the penalty. We’ll read the sentence and then decide whether to appeal or not”. The charge: from 2011 to 2014, the number of registered Catholics exceeded the number of Catholics actually residing in Norway; the State has a right to reimbursement of the money given to the Catholic community on the basis of an inflated number. The prosecution asked for a five-million fine and one year in prison for the former treasurer. According to Judge of the District Court Ellen Meinich Martens, there was no “deliberate fraud”, but it would have been necessary “to forbid the practice of illegal registration”. The diocese said they were not given instructions on the way Catholics should have been registered; owing to immigration from Lithuania and Poland, the number of Catholics would be much higher than the number of those stating their belonging.
