Bad Bishop...

...But Nice House

When we came in July to look for a house, we had friends that were on their way back to France after spending 4 years in Stavanger. We went to their house and when she inquired about our search I told her I wouldn’t mind finding a house like the one right next to her. It turned out it was the house of the bishop and they were under investigation for a NOK 27 million fraud.

A couple of days ago the (so-called) son was sentenced to 4 years in prison for fraud.

Bishop's son sent to jail
Bjarte Baasland, the 35-year-old son of former Stavanger bishop Ernst Baasland, was sentenced to a prison term that's considered lengthy by Norwegian standards: Four years for serious fraud amounting to at least NOK 27 million. Baasland and his mother, Bodil, sought funds from family, friends and investors after Baasland led them to believe he was setting up a high-tech firm in the Czech Republic. Instead, he was gambling away the money on the Internet. The judge hearing the case rejected outright Baasland's claim that he thought at least one of the family friends, Cecilie Nustad, could afford losing the millions she turned over to him. The judge also said Baasland's parents had been "incredibly naive," something the younger Baasland took advantage of. The fraud case bankrupted the Baasland family and prompted Ernst Baasland to resign as bishop but neither he nor his wife nor their son has apologized to those who thought they were supporting a business venture by Bjarte Baasland. The judge questioned whether the younger Baasland fully understands the severity of his crime. He showed little if any remorse during his trial, which was over in a day since he had plead guilty. His mother Bodil also has been charged in the case. All told, nearly NOK 70 million was lost on Baasland's Internet gambling. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) has reported that author Håvard Rem is writing a book about the case, noting that Baasland spent much of time living in a luxury hotel in Prague. When friends and family finally stopped sending him funds, and his money ran out, he wound up sleeping in a park in the Czech capital.

Foto: Thomas Fosse