Ecocrime: - Gave 13.5 million in "personal loan" to broke businessman

ARRESTED AT GARDERMOEN: The 45-year-old businessman from Oppland was in very extensive financial difficulties and had just been told that he was charged by Økokrim when he was arrested at Gardermoen with a plane ticket to Hong Kong.

Do you have tips about the business operations of the relevant people or similar matters? Send email to hkl (a) dagbladet.no.

(Dagbladet): Two weeks ago, a man (45) from Oppland was arrested at Gardermoen when he was on his way to Hong Kong, just after he had been told that he had been charged in a major ecocrime investigation.

The 45-year-old is now in custody with letter and visitation control, charged with gross money laundering and gross fraud. He denies criminal guilt.

Dagbladet can now report that the money laundering charge against the 45-year-old is based on suspicious million transfers from the controversial former pyramid top Jarl Moe (42).

Million flow without liquidity The apprehended catcher has for several years been subject to tax investigations and investigations related to corporate bankruptcies and his personal bankruptcy, but it is only recently that Økokrim has uncovered what they believe is evidence of serious crimes.

The Oslo District Court finds that the accused's six Norwegian companies do not appear to have had significant operating revenues. Nevertheless, in 2009 and 2010, approximately NOK 13.5 million was transferred to some of the company accounts - before the money quickly went out of the companies again. Ecocrime believes that the accused has used part of the amounts for personal consumption.

It is the approximately four-year-old transfers that are linked to Jarl Moe, who emigrated to Cyprus. A recent ruling from the Oslo District Court states that the police go to great lengths to suggest that money from there originates from criminal acts:

"The amounts in question are explained to come from Genecor Holdings Ltd. v / Jarl Moe, in a personal loan to [accused]. The money has nevertheless gone to [the account of the accused's company]. The money has also come from various sources. [The accused] also gave [his own company] a loan of EUR 2 million in 2009. Økokrim believes that Genecor is a company that can be linked to fraudulent activities ", it is stated in the prison sentence.

The 45-year-old currently has unsettled claims against him of more than NOK 7.8 million, according to a credit bureau.

Several searches According to Dagbladet's experience, Økokrim has, after the arrest of the 45-year-old, tried to get hold of Jarl Moe for a conversation, without success.

"Ecocrime has also started the work of getting in touch with several foreign persons who are believed to have significant roles in the case," it is stated in the prison sentence against the catcher.

Attorney General Trude Stanghelle in Økokrim will not comment on which persons are under investigation or other details in the case.

- There are many people we want to talk to while the accused is in custody. But we are in the middle of an investigation that will last for a long time, and Økokrim will not comment on any individual information in this phase, Stanghelle tells Dagbladet.

Risk-averse tax planner Jarl Moe was one of the actors in the pyramid scandal The Five Percent Community (T5PC), which ended dramatically in 2004, and was later linked to other pyramid-like networks where small investors were able to multiply deposits.

599/5000 The Cyprus-based "financial acrobat" was the last topic in the Nordic media when it became known in January this year that he had used none other than Sven-Göran Eriksson to lure investors to a project in 2013. A Swedish man who later felt cheated by Moe told the newspaper Expressen about an extravagant champagne lunch meeting in London, where both ex-national team manager "Svennis", Jarl Moe and the convicted businessman Kristian Helgesen were present. Afterwards, the Swedish investor is said to have been convinced to spit over seven million kroner into Jarl Moe's Malta company Tromeron LCC.

In recent years, several people have stated publicly that they have reported Jarl Moe to the police for various financial matters, but it is unclear where any investigations stand today.

Today, Moe profiles himself as a tax planner and lecturer with the company «TaxWizards».

- Can not confirm In an email to Dagbladet, Jarl Moe writes that he only knows the Økokrim case about the 2009/2010 transactions through Dagbladet's inquiry and that he will therefore only provide «general information»:

"It is impossible for me to comment on a matter about which I do not know the details. I welcome contact from Økokrim if they have any questions. I have neither lived nor worked in Norway for over seven years. I'm surprised to hear about this case and the use of my name. (...) I can not comment on the person you name (45-year-old, editor's note) or in any way confirm that we have any business with this person at all ».

The 42-year-old further writes:

"I and the company The TaxWizards, through our network of lawyers and service providers, provide information to business operators regarding international tax planning and how to legally save tax through proper structuring. Our team is often also nominated for various positions in such companies. Every customer is responsible for their own actions and all customers sign indemnification documents that protect us as consultants for any activities that we are not informed about. It is impossible for us nor our job to control the activities of hundreds of customers we have all over the world.

Moe claims that he, like all other "entrepreneurs who stick their heads out in international business", experiences "lawsuits and challenges", but that none of the accusations are correct.

- I have a clean record and always cooperate with the official bodies that want to contact me, Moe emphasizes to Dagbladet.

Godt utstyrt før Hong Kong-reise Retten mener flere forhold peker mot at den nå fengslede 45-åringen skulle reise fra Norge for en mye lengre periode enn han selv sier, like etter at han hadde fått vite om den alvorlige Økokrim-siktelsen.

When he was stopped by the police at Gardermoen on his way to the Hong Kong flight, he had key documents in his luggage, stamps from his companies and a keychain with codes for several bank accounts abroad. His new passport was in what the police describe as a hidden pocket in a bag.

After the arrest, the 45-year-old has refused to hand over passwords to, among other things, email accounts and online storage services where Økokrim believes there is important documentation. "The court believes that there is a high probability that the accused will remove relevant information for the police if he is now released," the district court writes.

At the prison meeting on Friday, the previously unpunished businessman from Oppland said that the first two weeks in custody had been terrible. He also expressed frustration because he had been denied phone calls with family and business partners, according to the court book.

- I do not want to comment on the case other than that he denies criminal guilt and looks forward to starting the defense, says the man's defender, lawyer Rikard Berg, to Dagbladet.