In a controversial resignation agreement, Anders Langballe, former special advisor to Minister of Education and Research Christina Egelund (M), received 445,000 Danish kroner on his departure. This amount has sparked bewilderment and criticism from various political sides, including the Danish People’s Party and the Liberal Alliance. Anders Langballe, who had only held the position for 15 months, chose to leave his post to spend more time with his family. Despite this personal reason for resigning, the size of the payout has led to speculation about whether there might be a favoritism involved, especially since both he and the minister have referred to each other as good friends.
Ole Birk Olesen, finance spokesperson for the Liberal Alliance, expressed concern about the agreement. “If you quit your job, you are not entitled to half a year’s salary afterwards. Nevertheless, the minister chooses to give the employee nearly half a year’s salary, which is particularly questionable,” he told DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). From the ministry’s side, it has been stated that all procedures and rules have been followed in connection with the agreement. “As a principle, we do not comment on personnel matters, but we can confirm that the process for this agreement has followed all rules and has been like in other cases,” the ministry said.
Anders Langballe is known for his time as a political editor at TV 2 and has also written a book about his work life and his struggle to recover after suffering from blood clots in the brain. His sudden and well-paid exit from politics has thus raised several questions about the norms for financial agreements in public positions.