Kari Monsen Røkke

"On November 18, 1982, Kjell Inge and Kari Monsen Røkke signed the papers that made them shipowners. The young couple had no money, but they dared to bet everything they owned on the company Karina Corporation. If it went wrong, the bank would get everything. And everything really meant everything, down to furniture and bedding."

"The legal documents show that Kari Monsen Røkke was willing to go far to get her share of the fortune. If she couldn't have time with her spouse, she would at least get her share of the money. She knew they were wealthy, but just how wealthy she had no idea, only that it was probably a matter of several tens of millions of kroner. "The standard of living and lifestyle that we have all shared as a family has been extremely high, and to sort out, establish, and identify revenue, tax implications, and the nature and value of the various assets will be a huge job," Kari explained to the court. "I do not have access to enough financial information to determine with certainty all of our sources of income..." But she had to document every single cent she wanted to have, the lawyers said. And they advised her to "vacuum" the house for papers and talk to the couple's financial advisors to possibly learn even more. Kjell Inge had long since stopped involving his wife in economic matters. He had indeed told her that they owned about 32 companies, but what they were called, and what they dealt with, she had no idea. But she bravely began to scrutinize the villa for traces of the fortune, and she worked methodically and was eventually able to provide her lawyers with information."