Attorney General in Troms and Finnmark has appealed against former Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and parliamentary commissioner Svein Ludvigsen (72) from Tromsø.
According to multiple Norwegian newspapers, quoting a press release from a prosecutor in Troms and Finnmark, Ludvigsen has been charged with sexual assault against three people.
The 72-year-old is accused of abusing his position as a county governor to gain access to asylum seekers, offering them citizenship in return for sexual favours.
Ludvigsen has been investigated for sexual abuse and exploiting vulnerable adults (Norwegian language) since December last year. He was detained on January 3 this year and spent five weeks in prison after. Ludvigsen has always denied the charges.
The police closed the investigation in July, but in August, the prosecutor sent the case back to the police and asked for an expert investigation into Ludvigsen.
Ludvigsen was, among other things, Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs in Norways Government from 2001 to 2005. He has also been a county governor and parliamentary representative.
The appeal has been sent to Nord-Troms District Court. Date of trial is not fixed.
