While Norwegians do not believe that everyone is honest and pure of heart, they certainly do trust people in positions of power much more than Americans. As a result of this, two things happen whenever an event happens that challenges this trust:
- Norwegians seem surprised that it occurred and wish to find out how the individuals went astray.
- I smile. Both for reasons that a teacher smiles when a student gives an amusing but naive answer and for reasons of schadenfreude.
I should add, however, that I’m not claiming to be an expert in corruption. This comparison to naivety is more like a hazing ritual in a fraternity. A “welcome to club” so to speak from a maybe-still-a-superpower familiar with corruption to a small ally.
With that in mind, from the International Herald Tribune:
2 StatoilHydro executives resign in Libya case
OSLO, Norway: Executive vice presidents Tore Torvund and Morten Ruud resigned from Norwegian state-controlled oil company StatoilHydro ASA’s top management Tuesday as a result of a probe into possible corruption in Libyan oil contracts.
Concern about the contracts arose a year ago, when Statoil ASA took over the oil and gas unit of Norwegian rival Norsk Hydro ASA to form StatoilHydro. Both companies ordered separate investigations into millions of dollars worth of questionable payments.
…
Torvund, who was StatoilHydro’s vice president for Norwegian exploration and production, and Ruud, who was vice president for projects, both came from Norsk Hydro. The reports did not detail their involvement in the contracts.
They were being assigned other jobs in StatoilHydro, a news release said.
This comes on the heels of one of the more humorous doping accounts from the Beijing Olympics.
Viking Quest 