Supreme Court Upholds Involuntary Psychiatric Detention of Norwegian Billionaire for "Wealth Hoarding"
Etvig set to start month four in detainment on refusal to surrender his fortune.
Oslo, March 24th — The Norwegian Supreme Court is catching heat internationally again for its unanimous decision to uphold what many are calling an “unconstitutional detention” of the country’s richest man, Anders Etvig.1
Etvig, 65, was placed under an involuntary psychiatric hold in the late hours of December 31st, 2021. That hold has remained in place despite the best efforts of Etvig’s attorneys.
“This is obscene, my client hasn’t been charged with any crime, the government can’t detain him indefinitely.” Says Anders Novak, Etvig’s chief council.
The court, however, disagrees. According to the opinion drafted Tuesday, the state has:
“[The] full right to minister care to and impose quarantine on symptomatic individuals of any disease that is considered a national threat.”
By the court’s reasoning, they are containing a disease for public safety, and Etvig just happens to be an unfortunate bystander. What disease could possibly merit such extreme behavior?
“Wealth Hoarding” is the official diagnoses that has been disclosed to Etvig’s wife of 10 years, Maria Vskow.
“Mr. Etvig’s activities have led to widespread harm for the citizens of the entire nation. His policies around aggressive foreclosure on property in mid-winter alone has killed at least 3 people.” The court said in its official opinion, citing an incident in 2018 where a young couple and their child froze to death after being forcibly removed from their home in the middle of the night.
What will it take to convince the state that Etvig is fit to care for himself? The court was very clear on the matter:
“As long as Mr. Etvig demonstrates a compulsive attachment to wealth, we can not in good faith release him.”
“In other words,” Novak paraphrases, “They want him to give his money to the state. They say the only action that can prove a true recovery from their diagnoses is to give them all of his money.”
And how much money is that? 87 billion according to Forbes.com.
Despite the billions, in a week Etvig will mark the end of his 3rd month at Ila Detention and Security Center. Sources close to the seemingly erstwhile billionaire say he’s close to giving up.
“It’s not nice in there, you try playing cards with Anders Breivik and see how long you last.” said Vskow said in a recent interview with USA Today.
“It’s a difficult situation. It seems like everyone in the country except a sane few are rooting to take his hard earned wealth. If this happens to him, what's to stop it from happening to any of us?” said Novak, who won’t get paid if Etvig surrenders his fortune to the government.
Novak’s sentiment seems to be echoed by Oslo’s upper crust, many of whom have been out of the country since Etvig’s detention at the beginning of the year. To others worried about the same fate, one ominous quote from today’s opinion stands out:
“We will continue to enforce and expand the quarantine in any way necessary to protect the Norwegian people.”
This article is satire.