Ministerial swap in Danish government amid controversial arms deal

Denmark’s Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen and Economy Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, both of the Liberal Party, swapped government posts on Tuesday, said a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office as the opposition demands answers over a controversial arms deal with an Israeli company.

“Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Jakob Ellemann-Jensen is appointed Minister of Economy today. He will continue as Deputy Prime Minister. At the same time, Minister of Economy Troels Lund Poulsen will be appointed Minister of Defence.”, the press release reads.

Ellemann-Jensen said he could not continue as defence minister if he were also to be the leader of the Danish Liberal Party, currently in a ruling coalition with the Social Democrats and the right-wing Moderates.

“If, as chairman of the Liberal Party, I am to have the opportunity to unfold the course I have set for the party at the summer group meeting, carry out my duties as chairman and continue to make the Liberal Party relevant in government cooperation, I cannot be defence minister at the same time,” he said during a press conference.

“For the sake of both the Defence Forces and the Liberal Party, we are therefore making this adjustment in the government,” he went on, adding that the Defence Ministry “requires a minister who is 100% dedicated”.

Troels Lund Poulsen earlier replaced Jakob Ellemann-Jensen as defence minister when the latter was forced to take several weeks’ sick leave in the spring. In a Facebook post in February, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen stated that he “will have to pull the plug for a period of time and take leave”. It was later announced that he was suffering from stress.

When Ellemann-Jensen returned to his post on 1 August, Lund Poulsen returned to his previous role as economy minister in the Danish government.

Convenient timing

The swap comes as Ellemann faces opposition demands for answers over a controversial multi-billion dollar arms purchase from Israeli manufacturer Elbit.

As the online media outlet Altinget revealed in June, the arms company, Elbit dropped a lawsuit against the Danish state just days before the parliament approved the decision to purchase billions in weapons from the company in January this year.

Last week, Ellemann-Jensen presented a long report on the Elbit purchase showing that his ministry has provided incorrect information to parliament several times leading up to Elbit Systems winning the contract for a new artillery system for Denmark.

Several parties in parliament are now demanding whether the arms company demanded Denmark buy weapons from it in exchange for dropping the lawsuit.

The lawsuit concerned a previous tender for artillery, which the company lost because the opposition Red-Green Alliance and the Social Liberals would not vote for Elbit to win the tender.

“It seems very striking to me that a report from the Attorney General’s Office talks about a compensatory purchase,” said opposition right-wing Liberal Alliance defence spokesman Carsten Bach.

The Green Left’s defence spokesperson, Anne Valentina Berthelsen, also demanded a clear answer from the defence minister.

“If there is a connection between the settlement reached with Elbit and the fact that we are being asked to buy a new artillery system from them, it is highly criticisable and very worrying for the Danish government. We need to investigate this,” she told the Danish media.

With the ministerial reshuffle, it will now be the new minister Lund Poulsen and not Ellemann-Jensen, who will answer questions in the case.

However, Ellemann-Jensen denied that he is running away from responsibility.

“I am certainly not running away from responsibility. I recognise that this is a big task. And it requires full-time to solve. That’s why Troels is being transferred to the Ministry of Defence,” he said, adding that there would be “bad cases” to deal with, regardless of when the reshuffle occurred.

(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)