Kaja Ballo

Titled Kaja: 1988–2008, the book became a bestseller in Norway.

The author stated he wrote the book as an expository method to both process his grief, inform his family about the controversy, and educate the public about suicide.

Kaja Bordevich Ballo was the daughter of Olav Gunnar Ballo, a member of the Norwegian parliament who at the time of her death belonged to the Socialist Left Party (SV).

Her stepmother was Heidi Sørensen, a former Norwegian MP for the SV and State Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment.

Kaja Bordevich Ballo (1988 – March 28, 2008) was a Norwegian university student who took her own life in Nice, France, on March 28, 2008, shortly after taking an Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA), a personality test administered by the Church of Scientology, earlier the same day.

Family and friends state that Ballo was happy prior to taking the OCA, and that her mood dramatically shifted after receiving the results; she jumped from the fourth floor of her dorm room hours later.

In addition to a suicide note, Ballo's family found the OCA among her belongings.

French police investigated connections between Scientology and Ballo's death, and interviewed two leaders of the Church of Scientology in France; prosecutors stated in December 2008 that they were unable to establish a causative link.

A Scientology representative in France asserted that the OCA was not created by the Church, and that it was not related to the suicide.

Scientology's information chief in Norway, Matthias Fosse, stated that the OCA was not dangerous and that the organization did not bear any responsibility for the tragedy.

Ballo's father, Norwegian MP Olav Gunnar Ballo (SV), retained a lawyer to investigate his daughter's death, and her family considered filing a lawsuit against Scientology.

500 people attended Ballo's funeral on April 11, 2008, at Grefsen Church in Oslo.

The incident received significant media coverage in Norway, for which some outlets faced criticism.

Norwegian MP Inga Marte Thorkildsen (SV) indicated that she thought Scientology had a role in Ballo's suicide.

Psychologist Rudy Myrvang told Aftenposten that the OCA was designed to break down an individual; he characterized the test as a form of recruitment tool for the organization.

Scientology critic Andreas Heldal-Lund stated parents of those involved in Scientology contacted him with similar concerns.

The Norwegian Psychological Association warned individuals against taking such types of personality tests.

On March 28, 2008, Ballo took a Church of Scientology personality test, officially known as the Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA), at a storefront Scientology mission located a few meters from her dormitory in Nice, France.

According to representatives for Scientology, Ballo spent a total of one hour at the facility.

She received a negative result from the OCA, which indicated that some of her responses were situated on what is referred to in Scientology as "an unacceptable level".

Out of the 200 questions on the OCA, Ballo missed 100 points, which was seen as "unstable".

The OCA stated Ballo had a "very limited" IQ.

Friends and family members maintain that Ballo had not indicated any problems prior to taking the OCA, but her mood "changed" after receiving the results.

Ballo's uncle, Heljar Ballo, told public broadcaster NRK that the results of the OCA were "devastating" to her.

He described Ballo as "happy and bubbly", stating, "We can only relate the facts, that she was doing well in France, was happy and had many good friends, and that she took this test."

Ballo jumped to her death from the fourth floor of her dorm room two hours after getting the results of the OCA.

She left behind a suicide note, along with the OCA results, which was found by her family.

In April 2008, Aftenposten noted that the French police and were investigating connections between Scientology and Ballo's suicide.

The investigation was headed by a French judge, and involved prosecutors.

In April 2008, French police interviewed two leaders of the Church of Scientology in France.

One French prosecutor told Dagbladet that, "We are almost convinced that it is a suicide. But the question is whether something encouraged her to this."

Prosecutors stated in December 2008 that they could not determine a direct link between the Scientology test and Ballo's death.

Agnes Bron, a Scientology representative in France, denied that the OCA was related to Ballo's death, and asserted that the test was not created by the Church of Scientology.

Scientologists pay royalties to the Hubbard Foundation for use of the OCA.

Bron claimed that Ballo never actually received her test results.

Scientology spokespeople asserted that the OCA non-judgmentally allows an individual to gain insight into their own personality, described the concerns arising from the controversy as "deeply unfair", and noted that Ballo had an eating disorder as a teenager.

Scientology's Information Chief in Norway, Matthias Fosse, asserted that the OCA was not "dangerous", and stated that "millions" of individuals had partaken in the test.

He asserted that approximately 10,000 residents of Norway had taken the OCA.

"I have never, never, never heard of someone who has killed on the basis of the OCA test," said Fosse.

Ballo's father wrote a book about his daughter's death, and refrained from press interviews until the book was published in 2009.