There is no one to point fingers at. Frederikshavn Municipality's long-awaited legal investigation into the financial problems at Frederikshavn Port acquits both former mayor Birgit S. Hansen (S) and municipal director Thomas Eriksen of their roles in connection with Frederikshavn Port's poor finances, which ended with a debt of 1.7 billion. DKK.
This is what was said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The investigation, which was prepared by the law firm Bech-Bruun, establishes that neither the mayor nor the municipal director has withheld information, acted irresponsibly or failed to respond in the matter. Both were kept informed on an ongoing basis by the port's chairman and management, and the lawyers find no basis for criticizing their actions.
Among other things, the investigation has led to the law firm reviewing approximately 680,000 emails from the period 2019-2024. Emails older than five years have not been included, as Frederikshavn Municipality automatically deletes older emails.
The investigation also confirms that city council members June Menne (S) and John Lamp Henriksen (K), who also sat on the port's board, had the right to inform the municipality about matters on the board. As municipally appointed members, they were obliged to keep the municipality informed and were not subject to a confidentiality obligation that prevented them from passing on relevant information.
The law firm concludes that the port's financial problems are mainly due to overly optimistic budgets, poor financial management and too many large construction projects that were initiated at once. A lack of response to the liquidity crisis in 2022 worsened the situation, while the construction of the oil terminal for Stena Oil was crucial to the port's collapse. The project was delayed by several years, and the costs increased from 160 million. DKK to over 465 million. DKK
At the same time, the study assesses that the cooperation between the port's board and the municipality was characterized by conflicts and lack of communication, which made it more difficult to find solutions in time. When the new port board took office at the end of 2023, it assessed that the port could not continue as a self-governing port, and the municipal council decided in May 2024 to take the port back as a municipal port.
The published version of the study is a summary intended for the public. The full legal study remains confidential, but has been handed over to Frederikshavn Municipality today.
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