This is confirmed by the Oslo District Court to TV 2. The background is that, following the ruling, questions were raised about the judge’s competence from one of the parties.
– Even though no formal objection was lodged about the competence, the judge himself and the district court considered it sensible to reassign the case to another judge, writes communication advisor Markus Iestra at the district court.
Torvund has been criticized because he previously led the local team of the Green Party in Nittedal. At the latest in 2019, he was listed as a candidate for MDG in the municipal elections. A party which, among other things, has decided that they want at least 8-10 all-Norwegian wolf cubs.
One of those who have reacted strongly to his handling of the wolf hunting case as a judge is the leader of the Utmarkkommunenes association (USS), Hanne Alstrup Velure.
She went out in Nationen and said that it was very unwise for Torvund to be a judge in the case, since he has a background from a party that has a strongly stated position on predators.
– It would have been just as bad if he had had strong sympathy on the other side, she underlined to the newspaper.
– In this case, the judge considered that a previous and ended office at municipal level in a political party did not disqualify him, writes the district court.
They confirm that the parties in the case were not informed about Torvund’s previous position in advance of the case.
– The application for a temporary injunction was not submitted to the other party, so that which district court judge dealt with the case was only known when the ruling was handed down. The judge’s last and completed political office is nevertheless known in the judges’ register of side jobs, the court writes.
It was Noah, the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Association of Our Predators who put forward demands for a halt to the felling of three wolf packs. After they were approved on 27 December, Minister of Environmental Protection Espen Barth Eide wrote that he is adamant that the decision to cancel the license is legal. And asked that the district court hold oral proceedings.
These negotiations start on Monday next week. But with a different judge than Atle Torvund.
The Ministry of the Environment confirms that the State wrote the following in its request for negotiations.
– If the district court decides that district court judge Torvund should preside over the hearing, it is necessary that he give a more detailed explanation of his involvement in the MDG and the MDG’s/local team’s involvement in the wolf debate. The state will then decide whether there are grounds for raising objections to his competence.
– Especially since this is a type of case that is urgent and requires priority, we did not want processing of a question of competence to delay the further progress of the case, states the District Court.
Very strict rules of competence apply to judges to prevent circumstances likely to undermine confidence in his or her impartiality.
