Janne Kristiansen resigns
Janne Kristiansen, leader of the Norwegian PST.
PST Manager Janne Kristiansen has informed the justice minister that she will resign her position.
The Justice Department wrote in a statement that this is because she ascertained possible confidentiality breaches through the disclosure of classified information.
At Wednesday’s opening hearing in Parliament regarding July 22, Kristiansen revealed too much about the Norwegian military intelligence operating in Pakistan. It was the words that doomed her.
“We cooperate with 60 national security and intelligence services in PST. When it comes to cooperation with Pakistan, it is not a country we have an official relationship with. But we have via e-service, those who are in foreign service in good and close cooperation, or it must be the answer yourself. They have representation in these countries, you’re thinking, and we work closely with the E-service,” answer Janne Kristiansen questions from SV Akhtar Chaudhry on what kind of contact PST has with Pakistan on the exchange of information.
“E-service has its representatives in these countries, so we work through the e-service in this country,” continued Janne Kristiansen.
Later Chaudhry asked more about Norway’s activities in Pakistan.
“In Pakistan, it is not just e-service that we have, we also have a POLTI liaison officer in Islamabad that we also have contact with,” responded Kristiansen.
Justice Minister Grete Faremo has taken Kristiansen’s wishes into consideration and accepted her resignation. Kristiansen resigned with effective immediately. Deputy Chairman of PST, Roger Berg, will serve as PST-chief until further notice.
“I want to emphasize that there is no established law, but that it concerns a possible breach of confidentiality. I have nonetheless chosen to meet Kristiansen’s desire for resignation,” says Justice Minister Grete Faremo in the press release.
Grete Faremo will not comment any more tonight, says the Justice Department to NRK. Nobody else in the political leadership of the Ministry of Justice will comment on Kristiansen’s departure on Wednesday night.
It was during the PST CEO statement in connection with the hearing of Parliament’s special committee regarding July 22, that Kristiansen spoke in such a way that could be seen as a possible breach of confidentiality.
Deputy Bøhler (Ap), a member of the 22 July Commission, says he is surprised that Janne Kristiansen withdrew now.
“She made a good appearance in the hearing today, it is surprising that she withdraws because of something that came out in the hearing. She did a decent job elsewhere in the hearing,” said Jan Bøhler, who is also deputy chairman of Parliament’s justice committee.
“I do not think anyone on the committee had guessed that she would resign now,” says Bøhler.
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