It is the pensioner Arthur Soltvedt who pursued the case since he was sentenced to 10,000 kroner in fines after visiting his sister in Värmland during the latter part of the pandemic.
- I would have crossed the border illegally.
Then I was pissed off, he says when SVT Nyheter Värmland visits him at his home in Brandal a few miles from the Swedish border.
Illegal after six months
Arthur Soltvedt chose to appeal.
He lost in the District Court, but was then fully acquitted in the Norwegian equivalent of the Court of Appeal.
- Then you start to wonder what we are doing in this country, he says.
Hear Arthur Soltvedt and the Norwegian prosecutor in the clip above.
During the pandemic, Norway kept the border closed with different rules for a total of one year and seven months, but according to the appeal court ruling, only the first six months were compatible with the Schengen regulations.
After that, the border closure was illegal.
Money back
If the verdict is upheld, everyone who was fined during that period can get their money back.
Now the Attorney General in Norway requests a review in the highest instance.
- It is a fundamentally important matter where we must get a clarification, says Henning Klauseie, who is the prosecutor in the case.
Even on the Swedish side of the border, the legal process is followed with great interest.
Border trader Elinor Syversen in Bograngen in Värmland is one of those who fought hard for the store to survive when almost all customers disappeared.
- I don't want to think about how much I lost because the border was closed.
It is deplorable, she says.