Arne Treholt
Encyclopedia
Arne Treholt is a former Norwegian
Labour Party
politician
and diplomat
convicted of high treason
and espionage
on behalf of the Soviet Union
and Iraq
during the Cold War
. Treholt's espionage is generally seen as the most serious spy case in the modern history of Norway. Arrested in 1984 and sentenced to 20 years in prison the following year, the Norwegian government pardoned him in 1992 after he had served over 8 years in a maximum security prison. After his release from prison, he settled in Russia and later in Cyprus
, where he works as a businessman and consultant
.
and also worked as a journalist for the national daily Arbeiderbladet
. He was political secretary for the minister of commerce Jens Evensen
before he became deputy foreign minister in the bureau of maritime affairs (1976–1978). From 1979 to 1982 he was connected to the Norwegian UN
delegation in New York as an embassy counsellor. During the years 1982–1983 he studied at the Norwegian Joint Staff College
. He was also department head of division for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
' press from 1983.
, head of counter-intelligence, at Oslo Airport on his way to Vienna
to meet with KGB officers.
, Treholt was convicted for treason
and sentenced to 20 years in prison, one year short of the maximum sentence allowed under the Norwegian penal code. The conviction included espionage
for the Soviet Union
and Iraq
, and high treason
. He was eventually reprieved by the Labour government of Gro Harlem Brundtland
on 3 July 1992.
, and he was swiftly transferred to another maximum security prison for long term inmates, Ullersmo Prison
.
In 1987, he married Renee Michelle Steele (1968–92), who had been a fellow inmate until her release.
Arne Treholt was released from prison in 1992 after serving over 8 years.
Treholt wrote on his experiences in prison in three books, Alene (1985), Avdeling K (1991), and Gråsoner (2004).
in the period 1974–1983 and to the Iraqi Intelligence Service
1981–1983. The sentence also encompassed handing over secrets obtained at the Norwegian Joint Staff College
where he was enrolled with authorization
from the non-socialist coalition government. Despite the fact that the government of Prime Minister Kåre Willoch
knew that he was under suspicion of espionage, he was admitted so as not to reveal the suspicions harboured by the authorities.
The trial led to a heated and extensive public debate about the Treholt case
in Norway. The controversy concerned the evidence, and lack thereof, against Treholt, the conduct of the police and prosecuting authorities, and what was viewed as lenient treatment of Treholt while he was under suspicion, as well as his controversial pardon by Gro Harlem Brundtland
's Labour government in 1992.
. These allegations have been refuted as untrue. Furthermore, it should be known that Arne Treholt during the trial admitted to having received money from the KGB for covering "expenses", but claimed that it could "only" have been 26,000 or 27,000 USD.
(NTB) reported that Treholt had been admitted to a hospital in Cyprus
and was in a stable but critical condition, and in a coma, possibly suffering from blood poisoning.
wrote that an anonymous former counter-intelligence employee claimed Treholt's and his lawyer's claim of evidence fabrication was true, but a few days later the anonymous alleged former employee withdrew many of his claims, stating that he didn't know. The Attorney General has asked the Criminal Cases Review Commission to look at the case again in light of the recent claims. The Attorney General stated that he did not believe the outcome of the case would have been any different without the evidence in question.
On September 24, the Norwegian Criminal Cases Review Commission decided to reopen its investigation of the case, previously closed in 2008. On 9 June 2011, the commission decided that the Arne Treholt criminal case would not be reopened.
Based on comprehensive interviews with 29 witnesses (18 of which were former police investigators who had been involved in the Treholt investigation) as well as forensic studies of photographs, negatives and documents, the commission unanimously concluded that there was no basis to suggest that evidence against Treholt had been tampered with or had been fabricated. In a 59-page document, the commission completely discounted the allegations made in the 2010 book.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
convicted of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
on behalf of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Treholt's espionage is generally seen as the most serious spy case in the modern history of Norway. Arrested in 1984 and sentenced to 20 years in prison the following year, the Norwegian government pardoned him in 1992 after he had served over 8 years in a maximum security prison. After his release from prison, he settled in Russia and later in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, where he works as a businessman and consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
.
Career
He was a member of the Norwegian Labour PartyNorwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
and also worked as a journalist for the national daily Arbeiderbladet
Dagsavisen
Dagsavisen is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999, and it is now fully independent...
. He was political secretary for the minister of commerce Jens Evensen
Jens Evensen
Jens Ingebret Evensen was a Norwegian lawyer, judge, politician , trade minister, international offshore rights expert, member of the International Law Commission and judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, member of The Swedish Order of the Polar Star and Commander Of The Royal...
before he became deputy foreign minister in the bureau of maritime affairs (1976–1978). From 1979 to 1982 he was connected to the Norwegian UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
delegation in New York as an embassy counsellor. During the years 1982–1983 he studied at the Norwegian Joint Staff College
Norwegian Joint Staff College
Norwegian Joint Staff College is the Norwegian Forsvarets Høyskole, a joint staff college in Norway training military intelligence personnel....
. He was also department head of division for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway...
' press from 1983.
Pre-trial
Treholt was placed under surveillance by Norwegian counterintelligence services for several years of his career in the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and the Norwegian ministry of foreign affairs. On 20 January 1984, he was arrested by Ørnulf TofteØrnulf Tofte
Ørnulf Tofte is a Norwegian former police officer.He was central in the Norwegian intelligence service during most of the Cold War, and served as head of counter-intelligence....
, head of counter-intelligence, at Oslo Airport on his way to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to meet with KGB officers.
Trial
Following a much publicized trial presided over by Astri RynningAstri Rynning
Astri Sverdrup Rynning was a Norwegian judge and politician representing the Conservative Party. She served as a Member of Parliament 1965–1969; originally elected as a deputy member, she became an MP when Kåre Willoch was appointed to Cabinet...
, Treholt was convicted for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and sentenced to 20 years in prison, one year short of the maximum sentence allowed under the Norwegian penal code. The conviction included espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
. He was eventually reprieved by the Labour government of Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian Social democratic politician, diplomat, and physician, and an international leader in sustainable development and public health. She served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway , and has served as the Director General of the World Health Organization...
on 3 July 1992.
Incarceration
Treholt was incarcerated in Drammen Prison from 1984 to 1985. He was transferred to Ila Prison, a maximum security prison for dangerous criminals, in 1985. In 1986, prison officials discovered than he planned to break outPrison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
, and he was swiftly transferred to another maximum security prison for long term inmates, Ullersmo Prison
Ullersmo prison
Ullersmo Prison is a prison in Ullensaker, Akershus. It was opened in 1970. The prison was intended as a replacement for the Botsfengselet in Oslo. It is used for long term prisoners from the whole of Norway, and has room for 205 inmates. The prison contains a sick ward, mechanic and carpentry...
.
In 1987, he married Renee Michelle Steele (1968–92), who had been a fellow inmate until her release.
Arne Treholt was released from prison in 1992 after serving over 8 years.
Treholt wrote on his experiences in prison in three books, Alene (1985), Avdeling K (1991), and Gråsoner (2004).
Basis for conviction
Treholt was convicted and sentenced for passing classified material to KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
in the period 1974–1983 and to the Iraqi Intelligence Service
Iraqi Intelligence Service
The Iraqi Intelligence Service , also known as the Mukhabarat, General Directorate of Intelligence, or Party Intelligence, was the main state intelligence organization in Iraq under Saddam Hussein...
1981–1983. The sentence also encompassed handing over secrets obtained at the Norwegian Joint Staff College
Norwegian Joint Staff College
Norwegian Joint Staff College is the Norwegian Forsvarets Høyskole, a joint staff college in Norway training military intelligence personnel....
where he was enrolled with authorization
Authorization
Authorization is the function of specifying access rights to resources, which is related to information security and computer security in general and to access control in particular. More formally, "to authorize" is to define access policy...
from the non-socialist coalition government. Despite the fact that the government of Prime Minister Kåre Willoch
Kåre Willoch
Kåre Isaachsen Willoch is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party. He served as Minister of Trade and Shipping in 1963 and 1965–1970, and as Prime Minister of Norway from 1981 to 1986...
knew that he was under suspicion of espionage, he was admitted so as not to reveal the suspicions harboured by the authorities.
The trial led to a heated and extensive public debate about the Treholt case
Trial and conviction of Arne Treholt
The trial and conviction of Arne Treholt in 1985 resulted in a verdict of a 20-year prison sentence, and confiscation of 1.1 million Norwegian crowns.Treholt was arrested on 20 January 1984 at Fornebu airport by Ørnulf Tofte and other police officers...
in Norway. The controversy concerned the evidence, and lack thereof, against Treholt, the conduct of the police and prosecuting authorities, and what was viewed as lenient treatment of Treholt while he was under suspicion, as well as his controversial pardon by Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian Social democratic politician, diplomat, and physician, and an international leader in sustainable development and public health. She served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway , and has served as the Director General of the World Health Organization...
's Labour government in 1992.
Cash evidence
The police conducted two searches of Treholt's apartment. In May 1982, they found 10,000 USD in a suitcase. In August 1983 they found 30,000 USD in the same suitcase. Treholt and his lawyer later alleged that Norwegian counter intelligence services produced these evidences themselves, and that the police and the judges conspired to cheat with the cash evidence, to make it appear as if the money came from the KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. These allegations have been refuted as untrue. Furthermore, it should be known that Arne Treholt during the trial admitted to having received money from the KGB for covering "expenses", but claimed that it could "only" have been 26,000 or 27,000 USD.
Cyprus hospital admission
On 20 March 2006, the Norwegian News AgencyNorwegian News Agency
The Norwegian News Agency is a Norwegian press agency and wire service that serves many of the largest Norwegian media outlets. It also cooperates closely with the photo agency Scanpix, in which it has a 50% ownership share.NTB was founded in 1867...
(NTB) reported that Treholt had been admitted to a hospital in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and was in a stable but critical condition, and in a coma, possibly suffering from blood poisoning.
Ruling by the Criminal Cases Review Commission
On 15 December 2008 the Norwegian Criminal Cases Review Commission (Gjenopptakelses-kommisjon) ruled that the case would not be reviewed. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. As a result of the decision, the prosecutor who handled the case in 2008, Stein Vale, wrote a book to summarize the case. The book - Teppefall i Treholtsaken ("Curtain falls on the Treholt case") - was published in September 2009.2010–2011 events
In September 2010, a new book claimed that the searches of Treholt's apartment had not taken place and that one of the pieces of evidence presented in court had been fabricated by the police. On September 18, 2010, the Norwegian newspaper AftenpostenAftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
wrote that an anonymous former counter-intelligence employee claimed Treholt's and his lawyer's claim of evidence fabrication was true, but a few days later the anonymous alleged former employee withdrew many of his claims, stating that he didn't know. The Attorney General has asked the Criminal Cases Review Commission to look at the case again in light of the recent claims. The Attorney General stated that he did not believe the outcome of the case would have been any different without the evidence in question.
On September 24, the Norwegian Criminal Cases Review Commission decided to reopen its investigation of the case, previously closed in 2008. On 9 June 2011, the commission decided that the Arne Treholt criminal case would not be reopened.
Based on comprehensive interviews with 29 witnesses (18 of which were former police investigators who had been involved in the Treholt investigation) as well as forensic studies of photographs, negatives and documents, the commission unanimously concluded that there was no basis to suggest that evidence against Treholt had been tampered with or had been fabricated. In a 59-page document, the commission completely discounted the allegations made in the 2010 book.
Popular culture
- 2010 action-comedy Norwegian NinjaNorwegian NinjaNorwegian Ninja is a 2010 Norwegian action comedy film, directed by Thomas Cappelen Malling. The film, based on a 2006 book, presents real-life espionage-convicted Arne Treholt as the leader of a ninja group saving Norway during the Cold War and stars Mads Ousdal as Treholt.The film is loosely...
(Norwegian: Kommandør Treholt & ninjatroppen) created a fake "secret historySecret historyA secret history is a revisionist interpretation of either fictional or real history which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed, forgotten, or ignored by established scholars.-Secret histories of the real world:...
" of the affair: Treholt was commander of a secret team of ninjas that fought enemies of the state on orders from the King of Norway, and that their centre-left political views lead to Operation GladioOperation GladioOperation Gladio is the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Italy after World War II. Its purpose was to continue anti-communist actions in the event of a shift to a Communist party led government...
framing them for treason.
External links
- Norwegian links
- English links
- "Treholt as BOD member in EU SEC regulated firm", in UWCFX.com, English version.
- "Convicted spy in a coma", in AftenpostenAftenpostenAftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
, English version. Last access date: 28 August 2007 - "Treholt Olympic guest of honor", in Aftenposten, English version. Last access date: 28 August 2007
- "Norwegian Secret Police surveillance pictures", released on flickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
. Last access date: 21 August 2009