Christian B. Hjort and Mikkel Toft Gimse acted as legal counsel for the former CEO of Metallco Aluminium for a criminal case concerning safety provision violations.
The case in brief
On Friday, November 17, 2017, a major explosion occurred at Metallco's factory premises in Eina. In addition to extensive property damage, two people were injured and two people lost their lives. Økokrim brought charges against the company, the CEO and chairman of the board for violating the Working Environment Act.
Gjøvik District Court ruled in the case against the company, the general manager and chairman of the company. The CEO was sentenced to prison for ten months while the chairman and the company were fined. The CEO and chairman appealed the district court's verdict.
Christian B. Hjort and Mikkel Toft Gimse represented the CEO both in the district court and in the appeal hearing before the Court of Appeals. Eidsivating Court of Appeal recently handed down a verdict in which the CEO is acquitted of the most serious charge: violation of the provisions of the Working Environment Act regarding a safe working environment.
Økokrim appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court, however this appeal was rejected. The acquittal of the Court of Appeal is therefore final.
Comprehensive assistance
In recent years, the police and prosecuting authorities have given considerable attention to financial, environmental and work-related crime. At Hjort, we closely follow developments and assist businesses and employees in matters concerning corporate penalty.
A commonality in many of these cases is that they are complex and involve extensive amounts of documents. For those involved, the cases can be challenging for the company's reputation and involve major personal strains.
In our firm, it is primarily lawyers with in-depth knowledge of the individual disciplines who bring cases to court. In addition to a large criminal law practice area, we also have a highly recognized employment law practice. This breadth of expertise ensures that we can take care of our clients through the necessary professional and industry knowledge, as well as experience in litigating cases before the court.
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