Oslo | Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg was fined Friday for breaking anti-COVID rules by organizing, in an overly extended family setting, a meal for her 60th birthday in which she herself did not participate.
Police concluded that the dinner organized for and, in part, by Solberg had exceeded the number of diners allowed, and fined the popular center-right leader 20,000 kronor (nearly 2,000 euros).
“Even though the law is the same for everyone, not everyone is equal,” Commissioner Ole Sæverud said at a press conference.
“Ms. Solberg is the country’s most prominent elected official and has, on several occasions, been at the forefront of government decisions on measures to stem the pandemic. It is therefore considered justified to impose a sanction to maintain public confidence in health rules, ”he argued.
The public channel NRK had revealed on March 18 that Solberg had celebrated her 60th birthday with family at a ski resort at the end of February, under potentially problematic circumstances from a health point of view. The police then opened an investigation.
On February 25, 13 members of his family had dined at a restaurant in Geilo, when the rules limited the number of participants to a private event in a public space to 10.
Mrs Solberg was unable to attend because she had to go to the hospital for eye problems, but the police retained her co-responsibility for the organization of this meal.
Deeming the regulations too imprecise on this point, the investigators, on the other hand, decided not to follow up on another family meal organized the next day by Ms. Solberg and her husband: 14 members of the family had then gathered to enjoy sushi in the couple’s rental apartment.
After the revelation of this episode, Ms. Solberg was confused in public apology and said ready to settle a possible fine.
The affair, which made the cabbage fat on social networks, tarnished the image of the leader, generally hailed for her management of the health crisis, with the approach of legislative elections which promise to be difficult on September 13.