Third and Fourth Administrative Scandal
During a few turbulent weeks, Norway has faced a wave of administrative scandals. From the Oil Fund and NAV to health and child welfare failures, systemic neglect and lack of accountability now threaten public trust in government institutions.
August 26, 2025 | NORWEGIAN POLITICS
Statsminister Støre Image: NTB Kommunikasjon/Statsministerens kontor
During hectic weeks in August, scandal after scandal has put a spotlight on Norwegian public administration. The first, the Oil Fund scandal, is ongoing — many Norwegians won’t rest until theOil Fund withdraws from Israel, read more here.
The second scandal, NAV’s budget overrun, has been covered up by the Labour Party. But today, VGreports that Minister of Labour Tonje Brenna knew about the issue before summer, despite claiming she did not. It remains to be seen how serious the scandal becomes as more people are affected by the cutback in employment programs this autumn.
Last week, we were presented with the third scandal: the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority paid over 100 million NOK too much to a private medical center due to poor control routines. On Sunday, the fourth scandal broke — Tamima Nibras Juhar (34) was killed while on duty at a child welfare institution in Oslo.
Tamima was a child and youth worker, working alone on the night shift at an institution run by a private company called Gemt AS, under contract with the Child Welfare Services. The Police Security Service (PST) received a tip about the perpetrator in February but assessed him as a low threat. Here, the administration failed both in the Police Directorate under the Ministry of Justice and in the Child Welfare Services under the Ministry of Children and Families.
Both this case and the Northern Health Authority scandal raise serious questions about the government’s use of, and control over, private health and welfare providers. Private companies must be removed entirely from child welfare services.
In the four scandals mentioned, five ministers share responsibility, in addition to Prime Minister Støre, who bears the main responsibility: the Minister of Labour and Inclusion, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health and Care Services, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Children and Families. So far, these scandals have had no consequences for anyone other than those directly affected — taxpayers who have paid in vain, NAV users who receive no support, the dead and suffering in Gaza, and not least Tamima and her relatives.
Norwegian administration is out of control. Norway has fewer than six million inhabitants and is a very rich country — how hard can it be? The government’s focus seems far removed from public administration and everyday life, far from Norway itself. Out there.
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