– I have sat on the board of many large companies, both state-owned and listed. I’ve never seen a company that was more difficult to handle for a board than Yara, said the former board representative in Yara, Ms. Schrøder.
She testified in the trial against four corruption accused former Yara tops in Oslo District Court Thursday . Ms. Schrøder put boards of Yara from 2004 to 2009 and put words on the board during the period of corruption in Libya and India should have taken place.
Økokrim believes the four previous Yara peaks paid bribes to the son of the oil minister in Libya in connection with the establishment of a fertilizer plant in the country, and that the payment of $ 1.5 million was kept hidden. Three of the four are also charged with a similar relationship in India (see fact box).
– Insult
Yara adopted last year Norway’s largest ever corporate fine for these conditions as well as a relationship in Russia. Shortly after Yara adopted bot wrote Ms. Schrøder an email to Industry Minister Monica Mæland where she wrote that she voted against Yara cooperation projects “which are now under investigation” on the board, and she says Asked probing questions around partnerships, including Others on shareholder agreements.
– I see every question as an insult, the then CEO Thorleif Enger have black, according to Schroder.
She said in court that a matter of courtesy to Mr. Enger was difficult completely from the beginning, when the board decided to put a ceiling on how much Enger could earn on the option package.
– Outraged
– He was furious and I think it was uncomfortable that one could not have a discussion about this. This confrontation I suffered under from day one, she said.
Enger would not comment criticism Aftenposten. His lawyer, Ellen Holager Andenæs, did not hide that she was exasperated with the statements of Schroder.
– This is not suitable for printing, was her only comment.
Andenæs uses court several probing questions about what specific projects Schroder voted against, and why you can not find a trace of dissent from her control protocols. Schroder explained that she on several occasions had objection and prejudice against Yara international cooperation projects and that more places could see traces of this, but it was not recorded in the minutes who said what in the reports.
In court told the experienced board woman about what she perceived as very difficult working in Yara Board. She said she had the impression that Yara management looked at the board as a “inconvenient necessity” and that they had a general motvillje against answering questions and understand the role.
– It was almost impossible to say no to something that the administration recommended or get a process around it, it was almost taken for granted that the board’s approval was merely a formality, said Schroder in court.
Several of her statements were met with given moan and hoderysting from the defendants and the leash of defenders on trial.
– Resistance to transparency
“My impression of Yara was that the culture of the board and between the board and management were not healthy, it was a lack of transparency and decidedly opposition transparency and dialogue. It took a considerable patronisering place of management, “wrote Ms. Schrøder in the email, which was read out in court.
She also wrote that there was no Yara she could relate to these concerns and that she brought this up with the nomination committee. She says she was asked by the Election Committee not to stand for reelection.
– My impression was that they looked at me as hard, she said in court.
“I stand like available in a dialogue about how to work with Norwegian ownership models, “wrote Schroder concludes email to Mæland.
She has served as director of the Danish company AP Møller-Mærsk and CEO of Wallenius Line. Today she sits on the boards to Ikea, electronics giant Schneider, and a company in the Aker group to Kjell Inge Rokke. She is also an advisor to investment bank Credit Suisse.
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