BAHR attorney Ole Jakob Raa (→) was found guilty in an internal investigation of fabricating false accusations of violence against a coworker. The accusations were made verbally, through acting in front of an audience and in writing, when Raa was working at PricewaterhouseCoopers Norway (→).
Raa claimed the acts were done with little conviction and in an unconvincing way. The investigators found the complete opposite – listen for yourself here.
Attorney Raa was informed of the coverage and asked for an interview several times, but declined to respond.
“Flippant” “jargon” at work and repeated photography at the desk
Attorney-in-training Linn Katrin Hansen (→) stated in a fact-finding investigation that she and attorney-in-training Ole Jakob Raa together and jointly had subjected a new hire to what she called a “flippant” “jargon”. Raa repeatedly and without consent stood directly in front of the colleague with his camera phone outstretched, took pictures and laughed, and said he would make a collage out of the pictures taken.
Raa and Hansen both gave false testimony to the investigators about the events – later revealed by a speech recording.
False accusations of violence
During a work-related stay in Helsinki less than a year later, attorney Raa presented a large number of false accusations of violence verbally, by acting and in writing. The events were raised through the whistleblowing channel, and a internal fact-finding investigation launched.
The fact-finding investigation was handled by psychologist firm Moment Organisasjon og Ledelse AS, where the investigators were psychologists Martin Skjæråsen and Tor Levin Hofgaard, president of the Norwegian Psychologists’ Association.
Video clip video1.mov shows that OJR repeatedly asks MA to stay away from him, but also that he holds his arms protectively in front of his face as if to protect himself …
OJR is seen moving away from MA to the end of the dance floor with one hand raised as if he is afraid of MA.
Report from fact-finding investigation, Moment Organisasjon og Ledelse, translated
Raa first exclaimed that he had been punched, followed by a grandiose act of forgiveness, where he declares the he forgives his colleague punching him. He then performed an act in front of security and others, including PwC colleagues, that he feared violence in order to get his colleague thrown out. The act backfired, and Raa was ejected instead.
Raa subsequently admitted having made false claims of violence during the stay, but claimed that these were done with “little conviction” and were “not convincing”. The fact-finding investigators reached the opposite conclusion:
OJRs screams and the noises he makes sound like he is actually being beaten.
Report from fact-finding investigation, Moment Organisasjon og Ledelse
The reader can judge if the fact-finders’ or Raa’s description is more accurate:
False accusations also in writing
Raa repeated the false accusations over e-mail, something the investigators pointed out as particularly noteworthy.
Raa later rejected that the events were due to excessive alcohol:
At no point has any of the parties claimed that the event in Helsinki was caused by excessive alcohol consumption, or that any of the parties were excessively under the influence of alcohol.
Attorney Ole Jakob Raa, declaration made during investigation, translated
Conclusion with a finding of false accusations
The fact-finding investigators concluded that Raa made false accusations verbally, by acting an in writing:
Moment is overall of the opinion that it has been substantiated through both the parties’ explanations in interviews, in following remarks to draft reports, through presented video- and sound recordings, and through following e-mail correspondence between the parties the same night that OJR made a false accusations towards MA that MA had attacked him physically and beaten him. Moment finds it substantiated on the same basis that OJR maintained the accusation for the rest of the evening and in a following e-mail exchange later during the night.
Fact-finding report, Moment Organisasjon og Ledelse, translated
Spread the impression that the events had not taken place
Attorney Raa went on to actively spread a wrongful impression that the events documented in the report had not taken place, in spite of extraordinary evidence:
After the completion of the report, I was informed by OJR that the report contains incorrect descriptions of events, and conclusions that don’t reflect what actually happened.
Explanation from colleague in the tax group, Adv. PricewaterhouseCoopers AS, translated
PwC Norway’s law firm misled and concealed the events internally, protected Raa and demanded silence
Tax partner Pål Tangen Heggernes (→) later distributed an internal circular that shielded Raa and and misled about the events that had taken place. Raa’s actions were downplayed and kept secret by Heggernes, and Raa was shielded from reaction for lying to the fact-finders, and for photography and collage statements at the work desk.
The law firm shortly after rejected an appeal to correct the impression made in the circular, and used the threat of termination to stop whistleblowing to the Labour Authority and Data Protection Authority.