Marius Borg Høiby News & Current Events Part 1: December 2023 -

[Queen Claude]

Frankly I thjnk the best thing for Marius would be for the King to allow the proverbial “hammers to fall on him. A few years in a rehab/cell may do him some good.

JMHO

After Marius issued his statement, his attorney said the following:

Lawyer [Øyvind] Bratlien says that the text is in reality an acknowledgment of criminal guilt.​

​

"He has formally not taken a position on criminal guilt as he has not been questioned, but in reality this is an acknowledgment of criminal guilt after the charge." writes Bratlien in a text message to TV 2.​

​

Marius Borg Høiby innrømmer vold og kokainbruk

I en tekst delt med pressen via sin forsvarer innrømmer Marius Borg Høiby (27) at han har vært voldelig mot kjæresten sin i kokainrus.

www.tv2.no

​

As of today, Marius has not been questioned and the charges have not been filed as Norwegian law enforcement is still building its case.

 

[ladongas]

Yeah, except Marius and his associates were not hiding in caves, (that would actually be worse) they went to town, to nightclubs and parties, so the police wouldn't have to bug Marius or hide behind a bush or use agents. They could just observe him from the bar,

Just so I understand- the police wouldn’t be following him, they would just be frequenting the same bars and then investigating (potentially) everyone there who spoke with or danced with Marius? That sounds like spying to me.

I’m not defending Marius, I’m just questioning how or if ‘authorities’ knew anything damaging. I think a bit much has been made about how his family or others should have known what he was up to.

Wouldn’t he have been arrested if he was plainly observed doing something illegal? He didn’t get arrested until a victim’s friends reported him. Otherwise, there is a theory that both security police and the NRF let him just get away with it. In which case, the investigation into Marius’ misdeeds is a minor part of what’s happening: the cops and the family knew about it and let him continue. Is that’s what is being alleged?

Because that’s a bit more disturbing than ‘a punk was acting like a punk’. And what sentence can such a punk receive in Norway, no matter who he is?

 

[tommy100]

Honestly, if the police are following the NRF to keep an eye on who they are friends with they are doing a poor job:

• Marius on drugs
• Marius stealing use of a scooter
• Marius partying with drug dealers
• Letting Haakon date MM when she was known to hang about with dodgy characters
• ML dating then marrying someone who has been arrested 5 times
• MM meeting with a convicted sex offender multiple times (Epstein)

So if the police are following the RF I'm not sure what they are doing with the info - clearly not telling them to stop or advising higher authorities - the King or the government- to intervene.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

It seems the requirement for family members to receive an official passport (either diplomatic or ‘special’) is that they live with the ‘main’ diplomatic passport holder (and travel with them or live with them abroad).

However, it seems that the reasoning in this case is that all members of the royal family have a diplomatic passport.

Edit: found a guide for diplomats serving in Norway. While this of course doesn’t apply to Marius, it does explain how the international regulations regarding diplomats are implemented in Norway.

Diplomat in Norway

This guide provides information to diplomats and their families on how the various privileges and immunities under the Vienna Conventions are implemented in Norway, and to offer other information.

www.regjeringen.no

Thank you! So the Norwegian authorities are more generous with the royal family than with the families of diplomats (though they are still less generous than authorities in foreign countries are to their royal families) in regards to diplomatic privileges.

1.10 Family members

Family members forming part of the household of a member of a mission, or a consular officer enjoy the same privileges and immunities as the member of the mission or consular officer. The privileges and immunities of family members forming part of the household are in general considered to be derivative. However, the Vienna Conventions do not provide any definition of the term “family”, and the definition of this term varies from one country to another. It is generally agreed that receiving States may formulate a reasonable definition in order to specify who may enjoy the privileges and immunities of this category of persons.

As a general rule, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs defines the term “family”, for the purposes of the Vienna Conventions, as including:

a spouse, or
a cohabitant/partner, on condition that this status is legally recognised by the sending State, and
unmarried children under 21 years of age who are not members of some other household and who reside exclusively in the household of the parent in question.


Children between the ages of 21 and 23 will continue to enjoy privileges and immunities on condition that they are attending an accredited institution of higher learning (i.e. university or similar) on a full-time basis in Norway. In such cases, proof of enrolment must be presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the request for the issuance or renewal of the child’s ID card. (See Chapter 7.)​

 

[Muhler]

Just so I understand- the police wouldn’t be following him, they would just be frequenting the same bars and then investigating (potentially) everyone there who spoke with or danced with Marius? That sounds like spying to me.

I’m not defending Marius, I’m just questioning how or if ‘authorities’ knew anything damaging. I think a bit much has been made about how his family or others should have known what he was up to.

Wouldn’t he have been arrested if he was plainly observed doing something illegal? He didn’t get arrested until a victim’s friends reported him. Otherwise, there is a theory that both security police and the NRF let him just get away with it. In which case, the investigation into Marius’ misdeeds is a minor part of what’s happening: the cops and the family knew about it and let him continue. Is that’s what is being alleged?

Because that’s a bit more disturbing than ‘a punk was acting like a punk’. And what sentence can such a punk receive in Norway, no matter who he is?

Hardly spying.
It's more likely the security police contact the police in Oslo, where Marius live and ask: What do you know about Marius?
The local police respond: We've had a couple of incidents with groups where Marius was involved. And while investigating X and Y we noticed Marius. And our informants tell us...
Then they ask the bodyguards at Skaugum: What have you noticed about Marius? Perhaps looking through videos to see if any of Marius friends who visited Skaugum are known by the police. And if there is a post Marius has to pass to enter and leave Skaugum, there is likely a log as well, which will be looked at.
At some point they will get a heads up that Marius and co are at a nightclub and the security police will send someone to keep an eye on him. I.e. anyone known by the police in the group? Who appears to be leading the group? What's the group dynamics? How does Marius interact with various members of the group? (If he is clearly subservient to a particular member, that person may have a hold on Marius.) Where is Marius in the pecking order? Do they appear to be under influence of something other than alcohol? - I doubt the observer will intervene unless something really serious happens. Collecting information being more important in this case.
- All that is submitted in a report, perhaps along with credible gossip and accounts from people who have seen something. (Likely to be something the local police will have or tell more or less informally.) That report is send up through the system. The Norwegian security police report directly to the Ministry of Justice, not to the head of the police.
- So no bugging, no tracking, no shadowing, merely a few conversations, reading some reports and a bit of observation.

Honestly, if the police are following the NRF to keep an eye on who they are friends with they are doing a poor job:

• Marius on drugs
• Marius stealing use of a scooter
• Marius partying with drug dealers
• Letting Haakon date MM when she was known to hang about with dodgy characters
• ML dating then marrying someone who has been arrested 5 times
• MM meeting with a convicted sex offender multiple times (Epstein)

So if the police are following the RF I'm not sure what they are doing with the info - clearly not telling them to stop or advising higher authorities - the King or the government- to intervene.

What do you expect the police to do?
They submit their reports and then it's up to someone else to do something. That someone else is ultimately the NRF.
So either the reports don't reach the NRF or the NRF ignore/dismiss the reports/tell the police to mind their own business.
I'll leave it to you to decide what you find most likely

 

[ladongas]

Perhaps the security police or the regular cops never saw enough to warrant further investigation. Being a loutish party boy is seldom going to excite a major operation into finding just how loutish he might have been. He wasn’t committing murder or armed robbery, and apparently nothing was reported to the police until recently.

I’m not prepared to believe that a professional law enforcement outfit deliberately failed to investigate anything serious they might have observed. And I’m not willing to believe that a caring family deliberately ignored serious signs of trouble for their son.

If I had to guess, I would guess that there were plenty of young people living in similar louche style in Oslo, and neither the police nor their parents have acted on what they know or don’t. This is, indeed, a mess; but it doesn’t mean that what happened was ignored and/or covered up by anyone. Law enforcement and parents can be incapable without being corrupt.

Marius alone must bear the responsibility for his actions, whatever they were.

 

[Muhler]

Everything that is not impossible is possible, including the police and the NRF knowing nothing. In that light I shall not try and convert you.
We can certainly agree that Marius is responsible for his actions.

 

[LadyFinn]

Haakon describes in Stavanger at the opening the conference ONS the case relating to Marius as a serious matter.
- It is a serious matter, and we are concerned that everyone involved gets good help and support, that they have good people around them. This is a case that is now in the court system, which the police are handling. That way, all parties are heard, which is good. And then I have great confidence that they do it in an orderly, professional and fair way in both the police and the judicial system.
He was asked whether the police have been in contact with him and Mette-Marit in connection with this case:
- Not directly. But I ask for your understanding that we cannot say much about the matter. If you have any questions about the case, I will probably have to pass it on to the lawyer. We are very close. We have known what Marius has told us and have known about some of these problem complexes, but I do not want to go into the details of that.
It is already known that Mette-Marit has had contact with the offended woman.
- We have confirmed that contact has taken place, but I do not want to go into detail on that further
He also tells that since Marius was small, he has had both an ordinary passport and a diplomatic passport.

Kronprins Haakon: – Har visst det Marius har fortalt oss

Kronprins Haakon beskriver saken knyttet til Marius Borg Høiby som en alvorlig sak, og håper alle involverte får god hjelp og støtte. Han bekrefter også at Høiby har diplomatpass. Kan gis til personer i et offisielt reisefølge, forklarer UD.

www.nrk.no

Haakon said to VG that he hasn't seen Bild's photos of Marius with a gun

Kronprins Haakon: Marius Borg Høiby har hatt diplomatpass

Kronprins Haakon sier også at han ikke har sett bildene av Høiby som blant annet den tyske storavisen Bild har publisert.

www.vg.no

Did the charge and the arrest come as a surprise to the crown prince couple?
- I cannot say anything directly about the matter. I ask for your understanding that it is better for the lawyer to answer all questions about the case.
Haakon will also not answer questions about whether he was aware of the accusations from the two ex-girlfriends that appeared on social media after the arrest.

- En alvorlig sak

Kronprins Haakon fikk spørsmål om kronprinsparet har vært i kontakt med politiet i Marius Borg Høiby-saken.

www.dagbladet.no

I get the feeling that Haakon doesn't want to admit how serious this case is.

Juliane Snekkestad is questioned again by the police.
- A new questioning has been agreed on Wednesday, says aid lawyer Petter J. Grødem to NTB.

Juliane Snekkestad skal i nytt avhør onsdag

Ekssamboeren til Marius Borg Høiby, Juliane Snekkestad, skal i et nytt avhør med politiet onsdag, bekrefter hennes bistandsadvokat.

www.vg.no

 

[KristehH]

Honestly, if the police are following the NRF to keep an eye on who they are friends with they are doing a poor job:

• Marius on drugs
• Marius stealing use of a scooter
• Marius partying with drug dealers
• Letting Haakon date MM when she was known to hang about with dodgy characters
• ML dating then marrying someone who has been arrested 5 times
• MM meeting with a convicted sex offender multiple times (Epstein)

So if the police are following the RF I'm not sure what they are doing with the info - clearly not telling them to stop or advising higher authorities - the King or the government- to intervene.

Isn't this the big question, though? Have the police reported to higher authorities and if so, how have the higher authorities responded (seemingly with very little). But it does seem like the police would have said something to someone. The NRF seem like good and kindhearted people, but perhaps they have been too permissive in raising children, or have been too much in denial?

 

[Maryrose]

I think Haakon is doing what every good lawyer advises--dont speak about the case without a lawyer present and especially don't speak to the press about it.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

What is the purpose of Marius (or any other member of the Royal Family) having both a diplomatic passport and an ordinary passport?


I think both of the Crown Prince's public statements on this case have been nicely crafted and appropriately restrained (especially in comparison to the statements that he and his wife used to issue to excoriate the media when controversial actions of Marius were reported on).

I agree with Maryrose and with Queen Claude's earlier comments that refraining from commenting in detail is the proper approach (and would say the same if it were any other non-working member of the royal family facing this charge). Any comment that could be perceived as opining on Marius Borg Høiby's guilt or innocence, or on the actions of the police and judicial system, could rightly be criticized as an obstacle to a fair investigation and trial, and although the royal family is undoubtedly experiencing its own emotional turmoil, that is best handled behind closed doors in order to minimize its impact on the legal process, the public discourse surrounding the legal process, the recovery of the injured person and the work of the royal house.

The one element of Crown Prince Haakon's comment I am questioning is his admission that he and his wife have known about some of Marius's problems and that Marius has told them some things. I wonder if that might be relevant to Marius's case and thus be something he should have kept to himself. Are there any legal experts here who could clarify?

I also wonder if the Crown Prince could strike a deal with the media to provide brief Q&A sessions about the Marius and Princess Couple controversies in exchange for leaving those topics alone when he is on duty at an event. It doesn't seem fair to the Offshore Northern Seas conference, or any other events he might attend, that their activities (which his attendance is meant to highlight) are being overshadowed by these updates.

 

[Muhler]

(...)

I also wonder if the Crown Prince could strike a deal with the media to provide brief Q&A sessions about the Marius and Princess Couple controversies in exchange for leaving those topics alone when he is on duty at an event. It doesn't seem fair to the Offshore Northern Seas conference, or any other events he might attend, that their activities (which his attendance is meant to highlight) are being overshadowed by these updates.

IMO not a chance!
This is too an important a story to leave alone and there are too many questions that need answering. No way the press is going to agree on a deal.
It really is too bad for the various causes, that Marius will overshadow everything, but they can blame it on how the NRF have handled this, rather than the press.

 

[suztav]

As someone who has done crisis communications, I can tell you that the only think Haakon or anyone else in the RF should be saying is "we are aware of the charges" ... if, even that much! Acknowledge the situation and then keep your mouth shut!

 

[LadyFinn]

Political editor at Nettavisen Erik Stephansen's good comment, where he writes also about the Bild photo, but also among other things:
... whether the caution and decency of the Norwegian press may actually have contributed to the unfortunate development of a young man.
It is no secret that the media have received several tips about Marius' behavior and lifestyle in recent years. This applies to both himself and his circle of friends, tips on both excessive partying, drugs and contact with criminal circles.
(..)

Kanskje var det vi som ga ham følelsen av å være «untouchable»

Norsk presses hedersmerke er at vi stort sett drives etter sunne, etiske prinsipper. Men noen ganger har vi kanskje vært for snille.

www.nettavisen.no

About Bild photos, now there's two of them:
- These images are quite obviously harmful to the Royal Household. Most people do not distinguish between the royal family and the Royal House, says reputation expert Trond Blindheim.
(..)
Blindheim doesn't think that the Royal House can restore its reputation. The King and Queen still have a good reputation, but...
- All the money he has stuffed into his pants is perceived as our tax money, people react strongly to that. It's the apanage in the pants.
Bild hasn't told whose the money in Marius' photo belongs to.

Bilder av Marius Borg Høiby (27) i tyske Bild: – Åpenbart skadelig

På det ene bildet holder Marius Borg Høiby en pose med noe hvitt i, på det andre har han pengesedler i buksen og pistollignende gjenstand i hånden.

www.vg.no

Bild:

Mette-Marits Sohn: So rutschte Marius Borg Høiby in die Kokain-Sucht

Zweites Schock-Foto mit Mette-Marits Skandal-Sohn aufgetaucht! Es zeigt, wie selbstverständlich Marius Borg Høiby anscheinend mit Drogen umgeht.

www.bild.de

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Political editor at Nettavisen Erik Stephansen's good comment, where he writes also about the Bild photo, but also among other things:
... whether the caution and decency of the Norwegian press may actually have contributed to the unfortunate development of a young man.
It is no secret that the media have received several tips about Marius' behavior and lifestyle in recent years. This applies to both himself and his circle of friends, tips on both excessive partying, drugs and contact with criminal circles.
(..)

Kanskje var det vi som ga ham følelsen av å være «untouchable»

Norsk presses hedersmerke er at vi stort sett drives etter sunne, etiske prinsipper. Men noen ganger har vi kanskje vært for snille.

www.nettavisen.no

Given that Mr. Stephanson is (reasonably) questioning the media's restraint in reporting about Marius Borg Høiby before this month, shouldn't he also acknowledge the role of the Crown Prince Couple's long history of fiercely criticizing the media for their coverage of Marius? Norway has a free press and the Crown Prince Couple have not had the clout or used such extreme tactics as the Duchess of Sussex against the media, but nevertheless, when even truthful reports about Marius photographing or selling items at the palace or dating a glamour model attract open letters from the future king and queen denouncing the media as violators of privacy and dignity, it is bound to make mainstream media executives think twice about publishing news that would be unflattering to Marius or other members of the Royal Family.

 

[Annine]

Aftenpostens republican political editor Kjetil Alstadheim says Haakon was nervous and uncomfortable, but gives him credit for meeting the press, answering questions even if he did not really say much. He compares him to many recent Norwegian poleticians who has had to resign for various reasons, who has just given a statements and then not taken any questions from the press.

He writes that Haakon chose to do it even if it was out of his comfort zone and he is not trained in such situations.

He writes that along the way, the crown prince managed to embarras VG's sharp-shooting reporter Haugan. He writes that if it was planned, it was cunning. If it was improvised, it was effective. Haugan asked about a picture of Høiby that the German newspaper Bild published at the weekend, and which has been discussed and shared in both social media and other media at the weekend. - I have not seen them. What pictures are we talking about? asked the crown prince.

It seems strange if the communications people at the Castle have not informed him about the picture. In any case, it was now Haugan who became uncertain. Clearly uncomfortable, he tried to describe the image, but gave up halfway through. - I have no comment on that, said the crown prince.

He also seems to conculde there will come news about Märtha Louise and Verret after the wedding ref what he said about they would review the agreement at a later time, but now it was wedding time.

Nervøs og ubekvem dans rundt spørsmål

STAVANGER (Aftenposten): De vanskelige spørsmålene hadde han ikke svar på.

www.aftenposten.no

IMO the court has put their best person for this case to talk to the press, his parents are to old and should keep out of this case, and his wife is to emotional. He said something without saying to much. The press will go on until they get a comment from his wife, but I dont expect such press conference for Haakons future engagements, and his wifes next engagements are inside different royal residences where the press does not have the access they had at ONS, which he more or less attends every year.

 

[LadyFinn]

IMO not a chance!
This is too an important a story to leave alone and there are too many questions that need answering. No way the press is going to agree on a deal.
It really is too bad for the various causes, that Marius will overshadow everything, but they can blame it on how the NRF have handled this, rather than the press.

You are so right.

Dagbladet:
The press attacked Haakon, as if he were Jonas Gahr Støre in a cabinet crisis. Hard, to the point, with anything but servile royal house journalism.
He has never been treated like this before. The scandals have obviously meant that the glass wall, which has protected the royal house for one hundred and twenty years, was gone. He was free game. Treated like any other human being, in any other media storm.
Now the scandal is already enormous. You would hardly think it could get any bigger. And it is apparently unstoppable. The European press has also jumped on the bandwagon. Now every smallest gram of cocaine must come to light. The silk gloves are not just off, they are thrown in the trash.
Haakon looked downright terrified at times.

Haakon så livredd ut

Det norske kongehuset er fanget i en snøstorm. Bare timer etter at kronprins Haakon ble grillet av norsk presse, fikk de et nytt skandalebilde i fanget.

www.dagbladet.no

After Haakon had already commented Marius' diplomatic passport, Communications manager for the Palace, Guri Varpe, also confirmed that Marius has both an ordinary passport and a diplomatic passport.
- The royals have diplomatic passports, and Høiby therefore has a diplomatic passport to use when he travels with the rest of the family.

Marius Borg Høiby siktet for vold

Marius Borg Høiby, sønn av kronprinsesse Mette Marit, er siktet for kroppskrenkelse og skadeverk etter en voldshendelse på Frogner i Oslo natt til 4. august.

www.nrk.no

 

[Somebody]

After Haakon had already commented Marius' diplomatic passport, Communications manager for the Palace, Guri Varpe, also confirmed that Marius has both an ordinary passport and a diplomatic passport.
- The royals have diplomatic passports, and Høiby therefore has a diplomatic passport to use when he travels with the rest of the family.

Marius Borg Høiby siktet for vold

Marius Borg Høiby, sønn av kronprinsesse Mette Marit, er siktet for kroppskrenkelse og skadeverk etter en voldshendelse på Frogner i Oslo natt til 4. august.

www.nrk.no

Based on this comment, I assume the media are now going to look into the specifics of Marius' use of his diplomatic passports (as apparently it is only meant for travel with the royal family) because I doubt he only gets into trouble (and uses it to get out of it) when he travels with his family...

 

[Muhler]

Political editor at Nettavisen Erik Stephansen's good comment, where he writes also about the Bild photo, but also among other things:
... whether the caution and decency of the Norwegian press may actually have contributed to the unfortunate development of a young man.
It is no secret that the media have received several tips about Marius' behavior and lifestyle in recent years. This applies to both himself and his circle of friends, tips on both excessive partying, drugs and contact with criminal circles.
(..)

Kanskje var det vi som ga ham følelsen av å være «untouchable»

Norsk presses hedersmerke er at vi stort sett drives etter sunne, etiske prinsipper. Men noen ganger har vi kanskje vært for snille.

www.nettavisen.no

(...)

It's to be expected that the finger of blame would at some point be directed to the mainstream media. (The politicians and civil servants and the court officials will get their turn soon.)
Unfortunately for the NRF, the consequence of the media realizing they were guilty of silence is that they will be much more rough on the NRF. Especially when Haakon becomes king. They won't risk being accused of covering up for the NRF.
So for the next few years the NRF is in a for a very critical press coverage and that will of course influence the public opinion about the NRF. - After a while the coverage will become more mellow.
It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, because it will force the NRF to be much more aware of their public image and perhaps begin to act more decisively about problems concerning the NRF.
Often you grow as a person when facing challenges and Hakon needs to grow a backbone. Now out of necessity.

You should always try and find something positive in anything and here the NRF has the opportunity to be masters of crisis management.

 

[Alisa]

Why up til now has Marius not been questioned, interrogated or charged with his crimes? It seems unjust and unfair that so much time has gone by and Marius gets to relax while his victims has faced multiple rounds of interrogations.

 

[kalnel]

Why up til now has Marius not been questioned, interrogated or charged with his crimes? It seems unjust and unfair that so much time has gone by and Marius gets to relax while his victims has faced multiple rounds of interrogations.

I'm speculating, but I'd guess his attorneys are still negotiating with the police and the prosecution about what questions they can ask and he will answer. That could lead to a plea agreement.

 

[Hans-Rickard]

Why up til now has Marius not been questioned, interrogated or charged with his crimes? It seems unjust and unfair that so much time has gone by and Marius gets to relax while his victims has faced multiple rounds of interrogations.

He was scheduled to be interrogated last week but his attorney cancelled it as he was unable to attend, and they scheduled it for this week instead… The police are not allowed to keep him unless there is a risk that he would flee the country

 

[Somebody]

I'm speculating, but I'd guess his attorneys are still negotiating with the police and the prosecution about what questions they can ask and he will answer. That could lead to a plea agreement.

Not sure that's how it works in Norway.

 

[Alisa]

He was scheduled to be interrogated last week but his attorney cancelled it as he was unable to attend, and they scheduled it for this week instead… The police are not allowed to keep him unless there is a risk that he would flee the country

This looks bad. Is justice not heralded as being swift in Norway? Can Marius' lawyer keep making excuses that he's not able to attend and keep delaying and delaying police questioning and interrogation? Or is there a deadline for this?

 

[tommy100]

To be fair, I have to give credit to Haakon for answering questions from the media - I know its almost just expected in Norway where the RF seem to speak to the media quite often compared to many other countries - it wasn't a perfect answer for sure but at a time you can't and don't want to say a lot he did okay IMO.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

You are so right.

Dagbladet:
The press attacked Haakon, as if he were Jonas Gahr Støre in a cabinet crisis. Hard, to the point, with anything but servile royal house journalism.
He has never been treated like this before. The scandals have obviously meant that the glass wall, which has protected the royal house for one hundred and twenty years, was gone. He was free game. Treated like any other human being, in any other media storm.
Now the scandal is already enormous. You would hardly think it could get any bigger. And it is apparently unstoppable. The European press has also jumped on the bandwagon. Now every smallest gram of cocaine must come to light. The silk gloves are not just off, they are thrown in the trash.
Haakon looked downright terrified at times.

Yes he looked very strained indeed. The level of stress must be very high with the upcoming farce of a wedding on top!

 

[Prinsara]

It's to be expected that the finger of blame would at some point be directed to the mainstream media. (The politicians and civil servants and the court officials will get their turn soon.)
Unfortunately for the NRF, the consequence of the media realizing they were guilty of silence is that they will be much more rough on the NRF. Especially when Haakon becomes king. They won't risk being accused of covering up for the NRF.
So for the next few years the NRF is in a for a very critical press coverage and that will of course influence the public opinion about the NRF. - After a while the coverage will become more mellow.
It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, because it will force the NRF to be much more aware of their public image and perhaps begin to act more decisively about problems concerning the NRF.
Often you grow as a person when facing challenges and Hakon needs to grow a backbone. Now out of necessity.

You should always try and find something positive in anything and here the NRF has the opportunity to be masters of crisis management.

So basically we have hit the “Juan Carlos and the dead elephant” moment in Norway, it seems.

 

[Hans-Rickard]

This looks bad. Is justice not heralded as being swift in Norway? Can Marius' lawyer keep making excuses that he's not able to attend and keep delaying and delaying police questioning and interrogation? Or is there a deadline for this?

I don’t know about deadlines, but as it seems to have been a one-off cancellation, the police definitely approved of it…

Would there be longstanding issues with the lawyer, he would likely be switched out

 

[crm2317]

It could be just me but I don’t buy the story that Marius was already not attending M-L’s wedding this weekend. I definitely think that he would have been there with his family had this story not come out!

 

[kalnel]

Not sure that's how it works in Norway.

I'm not, either, but we've seen reports that the attorneys are negotiating with the police, so they're certainly discussing something before he is questioned.