Norwegian left-wing party leader Bjornar Moxnes resigned on Monday after he was caught on camera stealing a pair of luxury sunglasses in a duty-free shop in Oslo, Politico reported. The incident happened on June 16, when CCTV footage of a duty-free store showed him stealing two Hugo Boss sunglasses.
In the video, Mr. Moxnes is seen trying on sunglasses in the shop and asking his girlfriend’s opinion. Seconds later, he is seen putting the shades in his pocket and walking out of the store without paying for them.
Watch the video here:
Norway: Reds socialist party leader & Kremlin asset Bjørnar Moxnes stole Hugo Boss sunglasses at an airport store. He resigned as party leader but is trying to remain in the parliament. Moxnes is adamantly against military support for Ukraine and the European Union. pic.twitter.com/5ws4FTQTFM
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 26, 2023
On June 30, police charged the politician with stealing ”with the intention of obtaining an unjustified gain for himself or others. ” He was fined 3,000 kroner (about ₹ 24,000) for stealing the Hugo Boss sunglasses worth 1,199 kroner (nearly ₹ 10,000).
After a video of the shoplifting went viral, Mr. Moxnes called in sick at the beginning of July. On the 24th of July, he admitted the theft in a Facebook post and resigned from the position of party leader.
”Many have asked how I could do something so stupid. I’ve asked myself this many times in the last few weeks. I have not had a full explanation. What I am certain, however, is that I did something wrong and I have to face the consequences of that. People in power should be held accountable and criticized,” he wrote on Facebook.
Notably, Mr Moxnes served as the leader of Norway’s Red Party for 11 years during which he helped it win seven seats in Noway’s parliament in the 2021 elections.
