VIBORG: Viborg Mayor Ulrik Wilbek's (V) girlfriend has been hired by the Biogas Group Biocirc, writes Jyllands-Posten. The city council has not been informed about the situation, and now the Red-Green Party in Viborg is demanding a statement from the mayor, denying that the employment relationship has any impact on his ability to make decisions about a potential future energy project from the company. He explains to the media that his girlfriend will not be involved in Biocirc's projects in Viborg, and that he has had a legal assessment of his competence carried out by the municipal director Lasse Jacobsen, who assesses that the relationship is not problematic, as the girlfriend is not part of Biocirc's management.
Professor of administrative law at Aalborg University Sten Bønsing similarly assesses that the girlfriend's employment does not disqualify the mayor, but he tells the media that it is "close to it". For the same reason, he believes that the city council should have been given a formal opportunity to take a position on the competence issue when the information about the employment relationship came to light.
- If for some reason the municipal director had to write that it is completely, completely 100 percent certain that there cannot be a question of disqualification, then it may well be that there is no obligation to go to the city council, but I would just be very surprised if the municipal director is so sure. The situation is that the city council must be informed if there is even a consideration or a possibility of disqualification. In that case, the city council may need to submit a note from the municipal director, says Sten Bønsing.
Illegal million-dollar gifts
Several experts assess in Jyllands-Posten that the million-dollar gifts that the company has offered a number of municipalities in connection with the company's plans to establish large energy parks are problematic and potentially in violation of the law. Biocirc, which has already purchased eight biogas plants primarily in Jutland and is working to obtain permission to establish green energy parks in Viborg, Skive and Vesthimmerland, among others, promises jobs, free district heating and funds worth hundreds of millions of DKK, which local politicians can use to, for example, build schools, nursing homes or sports facilities.
In Viborg, for example, Biocirc has asked for permission to build an energy park at Tjele with, among other things, wind turbines and solar cells. In return, Biocirc will establish a fund worth 200-300 million DKK, which the city council can use for municipal recreational initiatives or other socially sustainable purposes. But according to professor of administrative law and deputy head of department at Aalborg University Sten Bønsing, it is a "very risky" construction:
- The municipality must assess the energy plant solely based on the legal criteria that apply in the area, and this of course does not include considerations for sports and support for local communities. But if the municipality does so, then in principle there is nothing to prevent the company from supporting sports and local communities. But the two things must not be mixed. And they will be here, he tells the media.
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