Saturday, May 31, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Corruption is increasing in Sweden

The corruption in Sweden

Published 13 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Under Ulf Kristersson's government, corruption in Sweden has increased.

Under the Moderate-led government, corruption in Sweden continues to increase and is currently at its worst level since the measurements began.

– It is serious for Sweden that the negative trend has not been broken, says Ulrik Åshuvud, Secretary General of Transparency International.

Every year, the organization produces a Corruption Perceptions Index that ranks 180 countries and territories according to how the level of public sector corruption is perceived by experts, analysts and business people.

It is based on 13 independent data sources and uses a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 is extremely corrupt and 100 means there is virtually no corruption at all.

It should be noted that the Nordic countries and almost all of the Western world are doing relatively well according to the index but that there is still a clear negative trend for Sweden.

“New low”

As last year, Sweden is ranked 6th, this time with 80 points two fewer points than last year. Although this is a high score compared to most other countries, it is also the worst result since the surveys began.

We are now at a new low, it has dropped by nine points since 2015 and that is a very big negative change, says Ulrik Åshuvud in an interview with the Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

According to the index, Sweden is currently the second most corrupt country in the Nordic region only Iceland scores worse. Meanwhile, Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world, scoring 90 points out of a possible 100. Finland is second with 88 points and Norway is fifth with 81.

There are several factors that mean corruption in Sweden is expected to continue to increase but Åshuvud believes that the increase in organized crime, lack of transparency in public procurement, conflicts of interest and cronyism are the biggest problems.

Infiltration and extortion

He points out that criminal networks can use undue influence, infiltration and blackmail to influence processes and decision-making of various kinds.

– The decisions taken may not be the right decisions. People make different decisions or avoid making decisions because they feel threatened, he explains.

Another factor that leads to corruption is that Sweden is a fairly small country and that those in power and representatives of different interests often have a relationship with each other from before which means there is a risk that decisions are made on the wrong grounds.

– There is a tendency to favor others, in recruitment, to bring in people who don’t have the right background or because they know a person they would rather work with. This should not happen in the public sector. It should be based on impartiality and merit.

The world's least corrupt countries according to the CPI:

1. Denmark (90)

2. Finland (88)

3. Singapore (84)

4. New Zealand (83)

5. Luxembourg (81)

5. Norway (81)

5. Switzerland (81)

6. Sweden (80)

7. Netherlands (78)

8. Australia (77)

8. Iceland (77)

8. Ireland (77)

9. Estonia (76)

9. Uruguay (76)

10. Canada (75)

10. Germany (75)

The world's most corrupt countries according to the CPI:

180. South Sudan (8)

179. Somalia (9)

178. Venezuela (10)

177. Syria (12)

176. Yemen (13)

176. Libya (13)

176. Eritrea (13)

176. Equatorial Guinea (13)

175 Nicaragua (14)

174 Sudan (15)

174. North Korea (15)

173. Myanmar (16)

173. Haiti (16)

172. Turkmenistan (17)

172. Burundi (17)

172. Afghanistan (17)

171. Tajikistan (19)

170. Democratic Republic of Congo (20)

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All Stockholm parties approve parachute deal for ex-politician accused of sex crime

The corruption in Sweden

Published 16 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Gustav Hemming himself has admitted the deed - but denies the crime.

All parties in Region Stockholm have decided that the suspected sex offender and former Centre Party top Gustav Hemming should be granted a tax-funded parachute of almost SEK 12 million (€1.1 million). This is as long as he is not convicted of crimes that are considered particularly serious.

The Nordic Times has previously highlighted the Center Party’s former regional councilor in Stockholm, who was forced to resign after it was discovered that he masturbated in front of a 13-year-old boy on public transport.

The newspaper has also reported on how Hemming has been very upset about the delayed announcement of the multi-million dollar parachute he applied for when he left office. The C-top has, among other things, troubled Region Stockholm with repeated emails demanding to know whether or not he will receive taxpayers’ money.

However, it is now clear that all parties in Region Stockholm support the suspected sex offender being granted  €1.1 million of taxpayers’ money – as long as he is not convicted of a crime that is considered particularly serious.

Gustav Hemming has been charged with a crime. If he is convicted of crimes of a certain severity committed during his time as an elected official, the conditions exist for the regional council to decide, under the terms of PRF-KL, that fixed-term pensions should no longer be paid”, reads the decision, which the Bonnier newspaper Expressen has taken note of in its entirety.

Has admitted the deed

What “crime of a certain degree of severity” means in practice is not clear, but the parachute agreement is about a fixed-term pension of SEK 77,594 (€7,100) a month from December 1, 2024 to September 30, 2037 – that is, for the rest of Gustav Hemming’s professional life.

It can also be mentioned that Hemming admitted that he masturbated in front of the boy, but that he himself claims that he perceived the 13-year-old as much older and describes the whole thing as a “unplanned sexualized flirtation“.

– I perceived a reciprocity that can be sexually arousing in an anonymous environment, he claims in interrogation.

Swedish state secretary bought Saab shares day before Hungary Gripen deal announcement

The corruption in Sweden

Published 14 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Many defend Janse on the grounds that the sums involved are relatively small - but experts say that doesn't matter.

The day before it was announced that Hungary would purchase four Jas 39 Gripen aircraft from Sweden – a deal worth around SEK 2 billion (€180 million) – State Secretary Diana Janse (M) bought shares in Saab, the company that manufactures the aircraft.

Although the sums involved are relatively small, experts believe that this action is deeply inappropriate and risks damaging public confidence in the government.

Hungary was the last country to approve Sweden’s heavily criticized NATO application, and an agreement was also reached between the countries that included a deal on the sale of Swedish fighter jets.

Saab’s shares also rose sharply when the deal became known – something that benefited State Secretary Diana Janse, who had bought shares in the arms manufacturer for just under SEK 10,000 (€900) the day before the announcement.

She bought several shares that day and did not give any special consideration to the timing, commented Trade Minister Benjamin Dousas (M) press secretary to the tabloid Aftonbladet, which first reported the share purchase.

At the time, Janse was working for the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Johan Forssell, and today she holds the same position, but under Benjamin Dousa. She denies that she had any prior knowledge of the deal.

A state secretary participates in preparations within their area of responsibility. This means that not all state secretaries participate in or are informed about all preparations that come to the ministry. At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the cabinet secretary is responsible for issues relating to NATO, said her press secretary.

“Should keep a safe distance”

However, not everyone is impressed by the explanations, and Claes Sandgren, senior professor of law at Stockholm University and former chairman of the Swedish Anti-Corruption Institute, believes that the action is directly damaging to public trust.

– Considering that she was State Secretary with political responsibility for trade issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that the agreement was coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, her share purchase appears clearly inappropriate.

There is a ban on insider trading for anyone with insider information. They must keep a safe distance from anything that could be perceived as improper. According to the guidelines, such actions can damage confidence in the government, he continues.

It is often difficult to determine exactly who had insider information and who did not, especially since those accused almost always deny such allegations. However, Sandgren believes that similar allegations of corruption can easily be avoided and that neither politicians nor state secretaries should manage their own share purchases.

– Given her central position, she should, like ministers, not engage in share trading herself but place her holdings in an independent custody account with a bank.

Recurring scandals

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that high-ranking representatives of the Moderate-led government have made questionable private share purchases in companies with which the Swedish state does business. In March, the newspaper reported how Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) bought shares in the Swedish defense and IT company Mildef.

This purchase took place at the same time as the Swedish government was negotiating a multi-billion order from the arms industry – where Mildef was one of the companies that benefited financially from the deal.

As in the case of Diana Janse, many supporters defended the purchase on the grounds that the amounts involved were relatively small – around SEK 10,000 (€900)– arguing that this is pocket change for a minister.

However, according to Daniel Stattin, professor of civil law at Uppsala University, the size of the purchase is of little significance in this context: “The principle is really the same: make sure you don’t do business where independence or self-interest can be called into question”.

Swedish hospital director sentenced to prison for bribery

The corruption in Sweden

Published 27 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Large sums have been deposited in Adel Shalabi's private accounts in connection with purchases for the hospital.

Adel Shalabi, former director at Uppsala University Hospital, has been sentenced by the Svea Court of Appeal to 4.5 years in prison for corruption offenses.

In his professional role, Shalabi accepted roughly €425,000 in bribes from companies linked to former colleagues and the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

In late 2023, seven individuals, including Shalabi, were charged with bribery at Attunda District Court. The investigation revealed he had received a total of €425,000 from five companies, two of which were owned by former colleagues, while the others operated in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors.

It was discovered that tens of thousands of euros had been deposited in the hospital director’s private account in connection with the purchase of X-ray equipment by Uppsala University Hospital – and when the police began investigating Shalabi’s activities, they found a large number of additional suspicious transactions.

In the district court, he was sentenced to four years in prison for several counts of aggravated bribery – and six other people received shorter sentences for bribing the doctor.

“Abused his position of trust”

The Court of Appeal has now increased the sentence to 4.5 years’ imprisonment and found that Shalabi should be sentenced for several aggravated bribery offenses, aggravated breach of trust, aggravated fraud and aggravated accounting offenses. It is also noted that the corruption was systematic and that the chief physician was the driving force.

– In sentencing, the Court of Appeal has taken into account that the head of the practice has abused his position of trust and has been a driving force in the crime. Something that has also been important in this context is that the crime has been characterized by being systematic and directed against public and tax-funded activities, explains the Court of Appeal’s counsel Johan Klefbäck.

The sentence for the owner of a pharmaceutical company that sold medicine to the hospital is also increased – he is sentenced to one year and two months in prison instead of a suspended sentence and a fine.

Another person was sentenced to a shorter prison term for aggravated bribery, and three of the other people involved in the corruption scandal got off with suspended sentences and fines. Two of those convicted are former executives of major companies Canon Medical Systems and Siemens Healthcare.

Swedish police: Municipalities should be required to report corruption

The corruption in Sweden

Published 26 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
NKG's Natali Engstram Phalén believes that changing the legislation would send a clear signal - and have a crime-preventing effect.

Corruption in Swedish municipalities and regions is considered to be widespread – but many corruption crimes are never discovered.</strong

Now the police’s National Anti-Corruption Group (NKG) wants to see a change in the law that makes it mandatory for municipalities and regions to report all suspected cases of corruption to the police.

In government operations, managers must currently report all suspicions of corruption-related crime to the police – but this requirement does not currently exist for either municipalities or regions, which means that the police are not aware of the crime, and thus cannot investigate it.

It is important to receive reports of suspected corruption from the entire public sector. Today, we estimate that there is a large number of unreported cases in both municipal and regional activities, says Natali Engstam Phalén, a lawyer at the national anti-corruption group.

NKG points out that most of the public sector’s corruption-sensitive activities are found in the municipalities and regions, and it can, for example, be about grants being paid out even though the recipient is not entitled to the money, or that permits and public procurement are granted on the wrong grounds.

The healthcare sector is identified as particularly susceptible to corruption, and the police point out that organized crime is keen to take over all activities that can feed the criminal economy.

Employees are bought out

It is important that the same rules apply to the entire public sector in terms of how to deal with corruption offenses. It is not reasonable that municipalities and regions do not report all suspicions of corruption to the police. The damage caused by corruption is the same whether it occurs in local, regional or central government. Ultimately, it is about the public’s confidence in public activities and how taxpayers’ money is spent, continues Engstam Phalén.

It notes that between 2023 and 2024, only 107 corruption offenses were reported to the NCG – and that only 15 of these came from Swedish municipalities and regions.

This is worrying given that so many corruption-sensitive activities are carried out at municipal and regional level. Often, suspicions of corruption are dealt with under labor law by buying out employees. The risk is then that the person can continue their criminality in other public workplaces, the lawyer notes.

The group now wants to see a change in the law whereby those responsible at Sweden’s municipalities and regions are obliged to report all suspected corruption – and it believes that legislators should be able to use the regulations that already exist and apply to government activities.

This would send a clear signal about the importance of vigorously fighting corruption across the public sector. We also believe that it would have a crime-preventing effect while bringing more people to justice, concludes Natali Engstram Phalén.

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