Knut Sæther
Encyclopedia
Knut Sæther is a Norwegian jurist, civil servant and pig farmer.
He was chief administrative officer in Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality
, then chief administrative officer in Trondheim
. While chief administrative officer in Trondheim, he was under police investigation for an attempt to purchase a municipal lot next to his own. In 2000, he asked to purchase a lot in Reppe, which he was granted from the municipality. But the County Governor rejected the transaction, as the lot was within a recreational area. The politicians then passed a new area plan, which stated that the lot would be allowed to be used for building. The city administration did an error and colored the official planning maps green, for recreational areas, and then afterwards made a technical correction to change it to yellow. When the sale of the lot was voted over again in 2004, after Sæther was no longer chief of administration, and Sæther was again permitted to purchase the lot. But the County Governor again terminated the sale, stating that the correction was not valid. This resulted in arguing between the municipality and the County Governor, and the politicians and the municipal administration. Sæther was never allowed to purchase the lot and was instead reported to the police for corruption, nepotism and forgery. The charges were dropped by the police.
In 2002 he was appointed as director of the Norwegian National Courts Administration
. In 2004, Sæther and colleagues traveled to Strasbourg
to test the hotel possibilities. The issue resulted in media attention and whether such investigations were necessary. Shortly afterwards, the administration issued a tender for a new contract as travel agent, and the company who organized the Strasbourg trip won the tender. The board concluded that nothing was worth criticizing.
In 2008 he was nominated to the job as chair of Nortura
, but was not appointed after opposition from the cooperative's members.
He was chief administrative officer in Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality
Sør-Trøndelag county municipality
Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 25 upper secondary schools. It administrates the county roadways, public transport, dental care, culture and cultural...
, then chief administrative officer in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. While chief administrative officer in Trondheim, he was under police investigation for an attempt to purchase a municipal lot next to his own. In 2000, he asked to purchase a lot in Reppe, which he was granted from the municipality. But the County Governor rejected the transaction, as the lot was within a recreational area. The politicians then passed a new area plan, which stated that the lot would be allowed to be used for building. The city administration did an error and colored the official planning maps green, for recreational areas, and then afterwards made a technical correction to change it to yellow. When the sale of the lot was voted over again in 2004, after Sæther was no longer chief of administration, and Sæther was again permitted to purchase the lot. But the County Governor again terminated the sale, stating that the correction was not valid. This resulted in arguing between the municipality and the County Governor, and the politicians and the municipal administration. Sæther was never allowed to purchase the lot and was instead reported to the police for corruption, nepotism and forgery. The charges were dropped by the police.
In 2002 he was appointed as director of the Norwegian National Courts Administration
Norwegian National Courts Administration
Norwegian National Courts Administration is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the management and operations of the Courts of Justice of Norway. It is purely an administrative organisation, and does not interfere with the judicial processes nor the appointment of judges or other...
. In 2004, Sæther and colleagues traveled to Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
to test the hotel possibilities. The issue resulted in media attention and whether such investigations were necessary. Shortly afterwards, the administration issued a tender for a new contract as travel agent, and the company who organized the Strasbourg trip won the tender. The board concluded that nothing was worth criticizing.
In 2008 he was nominated to the job as chair of Nortura
Nortura
Nortura is a Norwegian agricultural cooperative that operates slaughterhouses and other processing plants related to meat and eggs. The company was created as a merger between Gilde Norsk Kjøtt and Prior Norge in 2006, and has head offices in Oslo...
, but was not appointed after opposition from the cooperative's members.