A lawyer of Filipino-Norwegian recruitment agency Active Service Omsorg Og Rekruttering (ASOR) tried to stop the release of a new book by an Oslo city official detailing the alleged corrupt practices of politicians in Norway’s capital.
Oslo city council member Erling Folkvord confirmed to national TV NRK that he received a letter from ASOR’s lawyer asking Spartacus, the publisher of his new book “Vår korrupte hovedstad” (Our Corrupt Capital) to stop the release of his book today.
Folkvord is known for his crusade against corruption, earning himself the nickname “watch dog.” He has been elected to the Oslo City council since 1993. He was also elected as a parliament member from 1993-1997, representing Norway’s Red Party.
In an interview with NRK TV, Carl Bore, counsel for ASOR, said that the book contained “wrong” and “damaging lies” about his client and portrayed the agency as a corrupt company.
“These are clearly wrong allegations. There are very few (allegations) that are correct,” Bore said.
In Folkvord’s book, ASOR was accused of sending invoices for free labor, not giving minimum wages, and employing unqualifed personnel.
Folkvord told NRK TV that “it is unfortunate that someone is trying to stop the publication of a book whose subject is so important.”
Spartacus has not responded to the letter from Bore and has no plans of postponing the launch of Folkvord’s book.
ASOR was founded in 2000 and lists as its owners Filipina Rizalina Galiza Jenssen and her Norwegian husband, Hallvard Jenssen.
ASOR is one of the biggest players in providing nursing aid services to elderly clients in Oslo. It counts the city government of Oslo as one of its biggest clients.
It is reported that the company earned a total of 67 million kroners (around 524 million pesos) from city government contracts in 2010.
