The Most Prejudicial Coverage by the Danish National Television and Radio

When Bagmandspolitiet stormed my companies offices, the television cameras were rolling, Bagmandspolitiet (the Special Prosecution) had given detailed instruction as to their action the day before. 

Denmark had at the time only one television station Danmarks Radio and Television, which with their 19.30 news (TV-Avisen) had everyone in Denmark clued in front of their television. 

Since this was the biggest story that night showing the television people at our banking offices at Højbro Plads together with members of the Special Prosecution, Copenhagen fiscal authorities and other journalists – the program sealed the fate of the companies, our clients and staff and me. In reality, the Special Prosecution and the authorities had no way back. The point had been reached, as Franz Kafka said, from which there was no return. 

In addition to this coverage a special 40-minute programme, 7 days later cemented my and my companies’ future fanning the flames of any doubts in the public mind and the media – I must be GUILTY.  

I had known Jørgen Flindt Petersen and Erik Stephensen who made these programmes for some time, they had both a good reputation for critical television journalism. Moreover, I found them both very professional and they both saw the world outside Denmark. There seemed to be so few of such talent in Denmark at the time. 

Both worked also as a journalist for the ruling Social Democratic newspaper Aktuelt. They both, later on, became the chief editors of this newspaper. My relationship with Danish Radio and TV had been going on for many years, and I had regularly participated in making various statements and comments as to the international financial market in general and particularly about the precious metal and currency markets through the years. 

Interestingly I was on the 4th January 1980 on the main TV-news with an interview about the explosion in the gold price due to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.  The judge in charge of the High Court trial judge H. H. Brydensholt announced on this TV-news program that he had stepped down from running the Danish Prison Service for seven years. (see: 4 January 1980 Danmark TV). He had for years been accepting the use of solitary confinement and its torture. Little did I know at the time that he within 18 months as a High Court judge would decide to keep me locked up in solitary confinement for another month and that he years later would preside over a pantomime trial at the High Court. 

I returned from Switzerland on Tuesday the 29th of January with my wife. My secretary had already made an appointment for Jørgen and Erik to see me in my offices at Ved Stranden on Friday the 1st February as they were working on a special program about gold and asked for my comments.

On the Wednesday, my secretary came to me to ask me if it was possible to change the meeting on Friday with the journalists to Thursday morning. I told her that I had too much to do on the Thursday (moving office, issuing margin calls to hundreds of client and meetings with marketing people about a new SCE brochure) and told her I will make the meeting as arranged on Friday, tell them that I have absolutely no time Thursday. 

Late Wednesday evening, being at home I received twice two calls as to re-arranging this meeting on Friday to Thursday, including a telephone call from Jørgen Flindt himself, I still told him it was impossible to see him next day, you have to wait to Friday I told him as previously arranged. He already knew – that come Friday, I would be in an isolation cell at the Vestre Prison. 

Within a week of my arrest and the closing of SCE, these two journalists presented the final nail in my coffin by showing a 40 minutes (prime time 20.00) television programme, where they involved some SCE clients who had become very anxious and worried after seeing the companies being closed by Bagmandspolitiet. (See: 5th February 1980) 

This very subjective television programme which was repeated a few days later did indeed seal me and my companies’ future. 

The newspaper coverage of the event, on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday following my arrest were huge and most pre-judicial. Denmark is a small place and such great amount of press coverage both in the national and local press did considerable and irrevocable harm to the case and my rights to a fair trial and hearing. 

Bagmandspolitiet had unscrupulously used the most important weapon to smear, discredit and disgrace my person – the media. Thereafter, there was no way back, moreover, the public would never “take back” what they had witnessed on the television and in newspapers.

The Danish media did create a trial by the media, a most pre-judicial environment for a fair trial. I am blameless by the prosecutions intrigues to create embarrassment and disarray among the clients of the companies.

The media missed the underlying story and truth. Even after my long pre-trial incarceration, the Danish media had no interest to pursue the truth, when the Dutch, German, French and Belgian television were a the court hearings at the European Court of Human Rights in September 1988, the Danish media and Danish State Television was not there. 

Despite this was a historic occasion as to Denmark in front of the full panel of judges for the first time since the establishment of the Court nearly 40 years earlier. The Danish media did not attend this Court hearing since they were an accomplice with Bagmandspolitiet and the Danish authorities for the injustice. 

The Lies by Bagmandspolitiet as to Hidden Money Abroad 

The many headlines and lies were regular fodder to the media in order to allow the Bagmandspolitiet (Special Prosecution), to travel all over the place. 

The headlines with regards to hidden money regularly featured in the press during my solitary confinement. 

The simple truth, when on the first day Bagmandspolitiet seized all the documentation and files from my offices, they knew about every penny I had abroad including details of all bank accounts. I kept all the details in my files in Denmark as I had nothing to hide. All of the lies about hidden money from Brazil to the USA were created entirely for the media to justify all the costs and travel by members of the prosecution. 

As to Judge Claus Larsen in the City Court, he had to be asked each time by Bagmandspolitiet with regards to allowing the taxpayers’ money to be used for “another” travelling trip – always after Bagmandspolitiet had already argued their case in the tabloid press telling them that I had hidden money abroad. 

Practically all of my liquid assets were in London, not in Switzerland or any offshore place; moreover, I had offered to bring this money to Denmark immediately after my arrest. 

When Bagmandspolitiet could not justify any more travel, they just asked a professional conman to go to the media and tell some stories about Brazil, USA or Paris, painting a criminal picture of me. Headlines saying that I had hidden millions in Brazil and had been importing false gold bars to Denmark – were all lies. Nevertheless, members of Bagmandspolitiet had several trips to Paris and the USA. I do not believe that they went to Brazil, they knew this was also a lie and possibly the media would have found out one day.  

Media Lynching by Tabloid Editorials

The fact that the media slowly became committed after writing so many lies and innuendoes – all attacking me, played a major part in creating a public trial by newspapers. The editorial lines of many leading newspapers were to throw as much dirt as possible on my person, on my clients and my companies. 

Worse still, the media took an active part in pointing out that I was guilty and deserved a long prison sentence. In many countries, such editorial lines would have stopped my case, as this was pre-judicial and not allowing me to get a fair trial. 

Denmark is a small country and this popular media coverage had devastating effects on everything and my right to a fair trial. The tabloid press becomes committed and ultimately concerted against me, together with the Danish authorities, giving me an unfair trial. 

Shortly after my arrest, I offered to bring all of my liquid assets to Denmark, but Bagmandspolitiet did not want this, as they would have difficulties in justifying their initial action in closing the companies and arresting me for open television for alleged tax evasion. 

I told the City Court and a week later just after my arrest that I would arrange to transfer all my assets to Denmark from abroad. This fact was reported in some newspapers including Børsen.

Nevertheless, the newspapers later attacked me as making millions every year despite that I was locked up in pre-trial detention. 

Because I was making millions on interest and had millions abroad, I deserved to stay locked up in pre-trial incarceration and the public should not have any pity on me! Never mind that I had a family which need me and that I according to the Danish Law was innocent until proven guilty. 

The media lynching and smear campaign went on and on through those years, something which is very hard to endure if one is locked up in a solitary confinement cell.  

The press knew that repetition pays, if you repeat anything many times, ultimately people believe it, never mind it is a lie. Throw lots of dirt on someone and some dirt will ultimate always stick. Journalist, politician and leaders in totalitarian countries like DDR and the Sovjetunion at the time, today China, Iran and North Korea use this successfully as did Bagmandspolitiet and the tabloid press in Denmark. 

So for years, Bagmandspolitiet could manipulate the Danish tabloid and the A-press (the socialist government’s newspaper). The media became the henchmen for the regime against the “victims” of Bagmandspolitiet/the Jantelov prosecution, including Mogens Glistrup, Jan Bonde Nielsen and myself, a media totally contemptuous of any decency and interest in the truth and justice.