"Scandinavian Star" scene that was never investigated - graded

Scandinavia perhaps the worst crime in modern times can be left unresolved. If modern fire experts are right, the perpetrator who lit the fire that took 159 lives on “Scandinavian Star” lie to escape.

fire on “Scandinavian Star” was applied. There is little doubt. The only person the police believed could suspected culprit, dead even in the fire. Experts state that he may not have been the perpetrator. There is the case today.

It is also a fact that other motives and other potential perpetrators scarcely been investigated. Expert Group, which now requires a new investigation, still believe that arson was insurance fraud. Now the survivors and private investigators that the police and the Attorney General once again to determine whether the case should be investigated again. Last Attorney Rated such petition, was last year. It was rejected.

Outside the mandate

During the investigation in 1990, it was never put particular effort into finding out who was the ship’s actual owners. Earlier, the cluster considered unlikely that such an investigation can yield results. Investigation Committee which was responsible NOU report for fire, states that ownership was unclear and confusing, but that ownership is essentially all about economic conditions and rights between private parties, and therefore obviously was beyond the mandate.

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The man who fights for all

Mike axdal lost his father and brother in the fire of the “Scandinavian Star”. The 23 years that have passed afterwards, he used to find out what really happened.

Investigation in 1990 was divided between Norway, Sweden and Denmark, where Denmark had the responsibility to investigate ownership. Prosecutions in Norway has since concluded that the split was unfortunate.

Much of the shipping business was operated from tax havens, and shipping records did not specify who were the actual owners. It was part of the reason that in 1998 introduced new legislation that will make it possible to identify who owns and who actually operate the individual ships, both technical and fiscal reasons and to be able to identify who responsible if anything happens.

never questioned

– I never understood why I was not questioned, says the man in the Bahamas registry was listed as the owner of the ship.

He did not want to say more about his role, but he does not have much to tell. But there is no doubt that he has knowledge of links and quick transactions related to “Scandinavian Star” when she changed hands in the days preceding the disaster fire.

husband is Danish American living in Miami. He was administrative chief executive of the company SeaEscape Cruises Ltd., the company that bought and resold the “Scandinavian Star” just before the fire disaster in April 1990. It is this man who stood as owner of the ship in the ship register, even if he refuses:

– I’ve never owned any interest in the “Scandinavian Star”, the man says to Aftenposten.

he has repeated time and again since 1990. He has been named as the ship’s beneficial owner on several occasions, both in newspaper articles, books and TV reports, and has been met with claims that he should have earned big money on death fire with people including convicted of fraud.

owners

Whether it was unclear in 1990, did not danish american easier when he managed two companies with almost identical names, SeaEscape Ltd and SeaEscape Cruises Ltd., and to crown all reviews companies on each other in the same way. The former company was wound up in June 1990 while SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. continued until 23 May 1996, when the remnants of what was sold.

There is no doubt that the Danish American’s name was listed in the Bahamas registry as “Scandinavian Star” burned the night of 7 April 1990. But it has not succeeded Aftenposten find evidence that the man actually was part owner of SeaEscape Cruises Ltd..

However, there are data indicating that the owners of SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. it was they who had the rights to operate as a tour operator, casino owner and restaurateur aboard the “Scandinavian Star” and several other cruise ship was operated by one or both SeaEscape companies in the years before the sale of the “Scandinavian Star”, while she was still owned by Stena Line Cargo Ltd..

Two of these are U.S. citizens, both men, both based in Miami. The third owner is reported to be a company based in Curacao.

It is this trio that may have been paid a million dollars in compensation for the “Scandinavian Star” burned.

Address I and II

trio reportedly bought the cruise company of the Danish shipping company DFDS sometime between 1985 and 1989. Cruise company then called Scandinavian Seaways Ltd and later changed its name to Star Cruises Limited. After the trio took over, changed the name of the company to SeaEscape Cruises Ltd.. It happened 26 January 1990.

SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. had a lease agreement with Stena Line Cargo Ltd. “Scandinavian Star”. In the lease entered into an option to ship, where SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. to buy her for $ 10, which they used the same fate before the trip at Easter 1990. Under the transaction, tying the company with two different addresses:

option at $ 10 was redeemed by SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. the Bahamas 30 March 1990. The same day, the ship was sold by SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. in Miami to the Danish shipping magnate Henrik Johansen company VR Dano ApS, reportedly for $ 21.7 million. A receipt shows that Henrik Johansen paid 126.5 million Danish kroner.

Seller and owner

a document that purports to be agreement between the parties, represented VR Dano ApS, a British lawyer. The same lawyer, who thus will represent the buyer, leads instead the seller, represented by SeaEscape administrative leader, as owner of the ship in the ship register after the sale. A re-registration to the buyer happened until long afterwards, and then retroactively.

Danish America was thus standing both selling and still the owner of “Scandinavian Star”. But it was still Henrik Johansen, who was sentenced by the rules of ownership.

Johansen did not pay the full purchase price when the contract is signed. A small remnant that remained were redeemed before the transfer. But the money did not come as promised. According to the Danish American SeaEscape boss must have been the reason it was taken out insurance on the ship for $ 24 million in the Danish insurance company Fourth Sun, where SeaEscape Cruises Ltd. was favored.

Danish America says that the purpose simply was not insurance fraud, but only that he would make the owners secured on the ship until the selling price was met.

fire

night of 7 April 1990 was ignited several fires on board the “Scandinavian Star” while she was in the Skagerrak on the way from Oslo to Frederikshavn.

Since it was completed approved lifeboat drills before she embarked, the ship was not declared seaworthy. The fire triggered nonetheless insurance payment to the trio who owned SeaEscape Cruises Ltd.. How much of the policy’s face value of $ 24 million was actually paid, is not known, but the damage to the ship was valued at $ 14 million.

Aftenposten has been in contact with the insurance agent in the Fourth Sun which sold hull and asked if it was paid insurance money after the fire, and if so, how much and to whom. We also asked why the company allowed to draw such a high insurance without the ship was seaworthy. Insurance agent will not answer questions, but shows the company’s new owners, the Danish insurance giant Codan.

Will cooperate with authorities

– We’re unable to provide details of insurance to the press, but we do naturally all technical details of “Scandinavian Star” at the disposal of the authorities if they so request, says Jeanette Fangel Løgstrup. She is communications director of Codan.

insurance premium on “Scandinavian Star” was unusually high, 0.64 percent of the sum insured. The usual procedure is that the premium is around 0.20 percent. The reason may be that insurance may have been drawn for a short period, and that the insurance company would have nothing left for the issuance of policies and other paperwork. But this insurance company will respond.

designated perpetrator

Both police and fire independent experts have confirmed that the fire was applied.

The Norwegian investigators said afterwards that the perpetrator was a Danish truck driver, who was previously convicted of arson. Trailer driver died in the fire and was found in his cabin.

Two Swedish engineers at the University of Lund states that the truck driver could not possibly have been the perpetrator – he would in that case have ignited four fires after his death. Driver’s widow today require compensation and damages for her husband’s memory.

Zoom sources

The Norwegian expert group which now requires new investigations, claims to have the answer to who the arsonists were. They have collected large amounts of evidence and brought in experts who have better tools than what had been available 23 years ago. Much of this is already considered by the prosecuting authorities in Norway and Denmark, most recently in January 2012, but rejected as a basis for a new investigation.

same time, many track dried out and witnesses are gone. A possible witness may have been a man acting in a sound recording that was made a few years back. There, he tells of a named person several times to have suggested that he has knowledge of the fire. Here he renders the person’s statements:

“ Who should know that it would be that kind of fire? »

Audio recording is hardly worth much in evidence in the criminal context. The man might as well be talking about the fire’s development after it was discovered. Anyway it’s too late. The man who speaks to the recording died of cancer two years ago. He was never questioned by police.

man who was quoted, are still alive.