Tuesday, May 6, 2025

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Criminal networks plunder Sweden – Economic Crime Authority warns of collapse

organized crime

Published today 9:50
– By Editorial Staff
According to Jermsten, "the basic functions of society" are now threatened by the rise of organized crime.

Organized economic crime is growing rapidly in Sweden. According to the Swedish Economic Crime Authority’s new Director General Rikard Jermsten, the criminal economy amounts to more than SEK 150 billion (€13,5 billion) every year, and is today considered a systemic threat.

– It’s worse than I thought. We as a society are financing the crime that we are supposed to fight, he says.

In its latest situation report, the Swedish Economic Crime Authority describes a development where crimes are becoming increasingly complex and extensive and where profits are increasing sharply. Money laundering through advanced corporate arrangements is identified as a central part of the gang criminal economy.

– In the past, the criminal profits in our investigations could amount to tens of millions of SEK. Today, we see profits well over 100 million in individual cases, explains Jermsten.

Particularly at risk are welfare systems, where criminal networks plunder public resources through fake companies, scam invoices and identity theft. But banks, pension systems and large construction and infrastructure projects have also become targets for organized crime.

“Threatening the basic functions of society”

The often quoted figure  that the criminal economy in Sweden has a turnover of SEK 150 billion (€13,5 billion) is probably underestimated, according to Jermsten.

Economic crime is growing in scope and threatens the basic functions of society. It undermines trust in the state, weakens public finances and damages welfare systems“, the agency states in its report.

Jermsten describes the consequences as twofold: on the one hand, society loses tax revenue that would have gone to health, education and social care  and on the other hand, the money is used instead to finance other crime. If crime becomes too widespread, he also believes that honest citizens will be less willing to pay taxes.

– When criminals steal tax money from the state, we all lose out. At the same time, competition in the business world is distorted, with serious long-term consequences.

No quick fixes

There are no quick fixes, according to the agency. But to strengthen resilience, it wants to see several measures: making it harder to start or take over companies for criminal purposes, easier to control company representatives, and harder to exploit other people’s identities.

Public procurement must also be tightened up to keep organised crime out, and the supervisory authorities’ control functions need to be strengthened. The Economic Crime Authority also proposes tougher penalties for economic crime in general.

– The development is going in the wrong direction. The whole of society now needs to build up its resilience, says Rikard Jermsten.

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Swedish criminologist fired after linking genetics and ethnicity to crime on state TV

organized crime

Published 2 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Leif GW Persson in a discussion with the Liberals' Johan Pehrson.

Recently, Swedish criminologist Leif GW Persson stated that there is a very clear link between genetics, ethnic factors, and crime – a link that researchers and authorities have deliberately silenced.

Now he is suddenly being forced to leave the state television program Veckan – which is also being shut down completely without further explanation.

In an episode of SVT’s Veckan med Camilla och Leif GW (The Week with Camilla and Leif GW) just over a month ago, Persson caused quite a stir when he presented a not entirely politically correct explanation for the spiraling crime rate in Sweden – factors that the authorities choose to ignore completely.

– There is one factor that has been studiously avoided, or rather two. One is the genetic link, which is actually stronger than the social links. So what about genetics if you trace this young criminal back through his family?

– That’s one thing. The other is the ethnic factor. They have avoided that, he continued, describing the link between ethnicity and crime as “very strong when it comes to serious organized crime in marginalized suburbs”.

According to Persson, these explanatory models are something “people don’t like to talk about” – and he argued that researchers are well aware of the importance of genetics and ethnicity, but that they have avoided focusing on these factors for purely political reasons.

– Criminological research can, with some justification, be accused of not really aiming at the target. The reason for this is not because people have been unaware, but because they want to avoid anything that could cause problems for them.

“At any cost, I had to be here”

The criminologist also expressed harsh criticism of politicians and other people in power, saying that they have failed completely in building a functioning police organization, among other things.

The TV personality’s comments caused an uproar among left-wing activists and liberals on social media, and he has now been fired from the tax-funded channel.

– It came as a surprise when SVT called and said they were cancelling the program. I have a clear idea of why that is, he told Bonnier-owned Amelia.

– I was actually a bit surprised because they were very eager to get me here. And that was just about a year ago. At any cost, I had to be here. Then it turned out that it was basically just to do 20 programs, Persson continues.

He does not want to confirm at this time that it was his comments about ethnicity, genetics, and crime that led to his dismissal, but he promises to comment further on the matter at a later date.

“That’s for SVT’s managers to answer”

Persson also points out that the program had good ratings, was inexpensive to produce, and received positive feedback, but that SVT’s managers nevertheless chose to cancel it. Program host Camilla Kvartoft also declined to comment on why the program was suddenly canceled.

– That’s for SVT’s managers to answer, but we’ve had two really great seasons with very high viewership, and I’m proud of our programs, she says.

Sofia Dahlström, who is the “acting commissioner for society, documentaries, and minorities” at SVT, states that it was decided from the beginning that there would only be two seasons – something Leif GW Persson does not recognize.

Triple murder in Uppsala makes global headlines – Sweden cast as cautionary tale

organized crime

Published 30 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The recurring Swedish gang shootings have become a popular subject for foreign media.

The gang-related shootings in Sweden never seem to end and on Tuesday three people were murdered outside a hairdressing salon near Vaksala torg, Uppsala.

The triple murder quickly became world news and Sweden is once again being portrayed as a horror story in the international media.

The victims are between 15 and 20 years old – and at least one of them can be clearly linked by the police to organized crime in Sweden. A minor suspect has also been arrested for the crime.

The media around the world have long been fascinated by the spread of gang violence across Sweden, which was previously regarded by the outside world as relatively calm, idyllic and spared from this kind of event. And the shooting in Uppsala is no exception.

Swedish bloodbath” is what the British tabloid, for example, is calling it, claiming that there is “Fear in Sweden after shooting“.

The Nordic country has suffered from a wave of gang-related violence for more than a decade that has included an epidemic of gun violence”, the Qatari Al-Jazeera states.

The AP news agency also notes that Sweden has struggled with gang violence, recurring shootings and bombings for many years without much success, and similar descriptions appear in most other media that have covered the events.

“Score-settling between rival gangs”

The US left-liberal CNN in turn alerts its readers to the fact that in 2023 Sweden had the highest number of shootings per capita in the EU – and German and French media note that gangs often use children to commit the murders, as they are underage.

But the Nordic country has struggled for years to rein in shootings and bombings linked to score-settling between rival gangs. Perpetrators are often young teens who are hired as contract killers because they are under 15, the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden”, writes Le Monde.

The moderate-led government claims it is doing what it can to stop the killings and has promised to crack down on organized crime. Last year also saw a drop in the number of murders compared to the previous year – but critics note that there is still much to be done.

Organized crime takes over Swedish aid for disabled citizens

organized crime

Published 23 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The Swedish Social Insurance Agency describes gang criminals entering the assistance industry as more the rule than the exception.

The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) is sounding the alarm that Sweden’s personal assistance allowance is currently being plundered by organized crime – and that taxpayer money is not only being stolen, but also risks financing other criminal activities.

When the privatization and sell-off of the Swedish welfare system began in earnest in the early 1990s, many warned that criminal actors would enter these sectors – either to launder money or to defraud the state and enrich themselves.

That warning has come true – and now Försäkringskassan reports that it’s now more common than not for gang criminals to be active in the personal assistance industry.

Criminals are abusing the welfare system through the personal assistance allowance. Four in ten users are estimated to have come into contact with personal assistants who have links to, or are active within, organized crime”, the agency warns, continuing:

The analysis shows that gang criminals and their families are heavily involved in the assistance sector, both as company representatives and as personal assistants, while remaining actively involved in crime“.

Systematic infiltration

It notes that in the period 2022-2023, people active or linked to criminal networks worked in all of the largest 62 assistance companies – and more than one in ten Swedish assistance companies are deemed to have “particularly close links to organized crime“.

It is not only Swedish society and taxpayers who suffer when foreign criminal networks have systematically infiltrated the assistance industry – disabled people also risk being left behind.

This includes vulnerable individuals being neglected, and people with disabilities being used as tools for crime – often with children being the ones who suffer most. Users risk receiving poor or no assistance at all”, Försäkringskassan states.

Tax money strengthens gangs’ finances

The money that the criminal networks manage to swindle is also at risk of being used to finance other criminal activities – and Swedes are thus forced to finance the gangs’ purchases of weapons and drugs, for example.

Furthermore, what appears to be legitimate employment – for instance as a personal assistant – can give the employee access to other types of social insurance fraud“, the agency adds.

The report was produced using data from a wide range of other Swedish authorities such as the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, the Swedish Enforcement Authority, the Swedish Migration Agency, the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish Police Authority.

Starmer singled out as responsible for UK pedophile scandal

Deteriorating safety

Published 22 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Keir Starmer is accused of turning a blind eye to the systematic abuse of rape gangs in his previous role as Attorney General.

Thousands of British girls have been sexually abused, raped or held as sex slaves in recent decades by so-called “grooming gangs”, often led by people of Pakistani origin.

Despite the systematic and widespread nature of the abuse, it was covered up by the British authorities – and the current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is held responsible for the cover-up in his former role as Attorney General.

As early as the late 1980s, young vulnerable girls in several towns in the north of England began to be exploited by Pakistani gangs. The girls were drugged with drugs or alcohol and subjected to serious rape.

It has since emerged that the authorities failed to intervene – partly for fear of being accused of “racism”.

I want to see those responsible held accountable for gross misconduct, former police officer Maggie Oliver told Swedish state broadcaster SVT, which recently released a documentary about the events.

The misconduct led Oliver to resign and instead become one of the most prominent critics of government inaction.

“They stole my childhood”

Oliver is far from alone in his criticism, with foreign commentators such as Trump advisor Elon Musk also drawing attention to the scandal and attacking the UK government.

They should receive the severest punishment. Hang them for treason”, he wrote in a statement in early January.

The fact that Pakistani grooming and pedophile gangs have been able to continue their rampage for decades despite the alerts about the abuses has led to widespread public anger against British politicians and authorities. Many believe that the country’s leaders have blood on their hands and are heavily complicit in the destruction of the girls’ lives.

– The only way to cope was to turn everything off. They stole my childhood, says Elisabeth, who was 14 the first time she was raped.

She says she was held captive in an apartment and raped daily by different men.

– These men destroyed lives, and the authorities helped them do it, she continues.

“A cover-up”

Elisabeth was left in the apartment of the pedophile network despite being a minor, and she is far from alone in suffering from the authorities’ betrayal, with the police failing to act.

– It was a cover-up. They didn’t want it to be known that these kinds of sexual crimes were going on in the country, explains Maggie Oliver.

A fairly typical “British” grooming gang – these particular offenders are from Halifax. Photo: West Yorkshire Police

Many believe that the UK’s highest political leadership bears ultimate responsibility for the failure to stop the pedophile network with Prime Minister Keir Starmer being singled out for blame in the cover-up scandal.

Mr. Starmer was the former Attorney General and was formally ultimately responsible when a huge number of child sexual abuse cases were ignored or covered up by the authorities.

– There was no one higher up to turn to. So I think he is complicit and knew exactly what was going on and he let it continue to happen. To me, that’s inexcusable, Oliver further argues.

Starmer insists on his innocence

The fact that British establishment politicians have rejected a national investigation into the scandal has further strengthened allegations of a cover-up with critics seeing the unwillingness to get to the bottom of it as evidence of trying to protect themselves and their friends.

Starmer himself claims to have done nothing wrong, saying instead that he “tackled that problem head on”.

I reopened cases that had been closed and supposedly finished, I brought the first major prosecution of an  Asian grooming gang, he claims.

Others point out that not only have leading politicians acted far too late but that the problems have still not been addressed, and that British girls are still being systematically abused by foreign gangs.

Rotherham, an English town of just over 100,000 people, is often cited as the prime example of the corruption and incompetence of the authorities. By the early 1990s, abuses were already well known in the town but despite politicians and police being alerted on numerous occasions, the abuses continued for decades. Despite the city’s small size, it is estimated that at least 1,400 girls were exploited, raped or sold as sex slaves in the city between the late 1980s and 2013.

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