SpareBank 1 SMN reported to the police on Thursday 19 January a hired replacement employee for gross embezzlement. The relationship was uncovered through the bank's own control functions. The police's investigation, which corresponds to the bank's own investigations, shows that the embezzlement totals just under NOK 75 million. Because the accused returned part of the amount to SpareBank 1 SMN before the arrest, the net amount withdrawn from the bank is in excess of NOK 66 million. The police have secured just over NOK 15 million in Sweden. Based on the information that is now known, more than NOK 50 million of the embezzled amount has been lost.

SpareBank 1 SMN has insurance that covers financial crime, including embezzlement. The insurance has a deductible of NOK 5 million. Most of the embezzlement occurred within a short time before it was discovered and reported to the police. The funds have been transferred to bank accounts in other banks in Norway, and further out of the country. There, they have mainly been invested in securities and financial instruments with a very high risk.