Christian Bjelland, who led Kvaerner's board until the concern was taken over by tycoon Kjell Inge Roekke, denies he gave misleading information about Kvaerner's financial situation at the time. He questions instead the competence of commission members who levelled such charges.
Former chief executive Kjell Almskog, who Bjelland brought in as part of a vain effort to get the company back on track, also has come with biting criticism of his own about the commission and its report. He charges the commission with ignoring positive things that occurred at Kvaerner, and delivering an unbalanced account.
Kvaerner's accountants, meanwhile, are also fending off criticism from the commission. Ole Klette of accounting firm KPMG told newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv that he was "very disappointed" with its conclusions and "all the mistakes in the report."
Both KPMG and others are hinting they may sue the commission for misrepresenting what happened at Kvaerner. The commission, meanwhile, maintains that most of the former management and auditors at the company also misrepresented Kvaerner's situation at the time, and already had indicated there may be grounds to sue them.
One thing appears clear: Kvaerner, which now operates as Aker Kvaerner under Roekke, will likely be the subject of more controversy and noise as the finger-pointing continues. The company continues to face heavy losses in some divisions and a challenging market.