On Friday, the Deputy Governor of the central bank of Norway, Jon Nicolaisen, tendered his resignation after his application for security clearance was allegedly cancelled for having a Chinese wife. He has been overseeing Norway’s sovereign wealth fund of $1.2 trillion, in addition to taking part in setting monetary policy of the country.
Nicolaisen stated that the Norwegian Civil Security Clearance Authority refused him a renewed security clearance as his wife is Chinese. He added that he supports his wife financially, who stays in China. Informing about the development, he said, “the Norwegian Civil Security Clearance Authority informs me that the reason that I will not receive a renewed security clearance is that my wife is a Chinese citizen and resides in China, where I support her financially.
He further added, “At the same time, they have determined that there are no circumstances regarding me personally that give rise to doubt about my suitability for obtaining a security clearance, but that this does not carry sufficient weight. I have now had to take the consequences of this.”
Reportedly, his resignation will be effective immediately but it is not clear who would replace Jon Nicolaisen as the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Norway. Governor Oeystein Olsen said, “I will miss Jon Nicolaisen in his post as deputy governor, where he performed his duties superbly as a close colleague and competent professional.”
Norway has strict security clearance policies
The Chinese embassy in Oslo stated that it was unaware of the development. Norway has become stricter over the years in its security clearance policy and has made it difficult for individuals married to people of other nationalities that do not have security co-operation with Norway. As per reports, Nicolaisen was first appointed as deputy governor of the central bank in 2014, and later re-appointed in April 2020.
