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Agency to probe Lööf’s Christmas party

Published: 21 Aug 12 17:30 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/42750/20120821/

The Swedish Competition Authority (Konkurrensverket) is demanding that the Ministry for Enterprise show all the paperwork surrounding their controversial 2011 Christmas celebrations in the wake of the recent state agency entertainment spending scandal in Sweden.

“The Swedish Competition Authority asks that the Government Offices produce copies of all contracts regarding the Ministry of Enterprise’s purchase of goods and/or services in connection with above event,” Magnus Johansson of the agency wrote in his request.

Daily Aftonbladet reported earlier in the month that the ministry for enterprise had tried to write off the party, which amounted to 616,473 kronor ($92,734) as seminar activity, thereby avoiding a value added tax (moms) of 123,295 kronor.

“We followed the rules as we understood them and the main aim was to gather all the employees in one place so that they could meet the ministers and we could chat about the ministry’s direction,” said the ministry’s administrative head Birgitta Wikmark Carlsson at the time of the revelation.

“It just seemed very convenient to have our Christmas gathering at the same time seeing as we were all in one place.”

The Competition authority has now requested to see receipts for the payment of the boat trip, the entertainment and the meals for the ministry’s employees.

The agency is also asking for an explanation as to why agreements were entered into about the party without putting the contracts out to tender, in accordance with Swedish legislation.

The agency wants an answer from the Government Offices before September 6th.

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21:22 August 21, 2012 by rise
"He [she] that diggeth a pit shall fall into it"
10:54 August 22, 2012 by themoron
themoron says: Politicians in many countries should earn less, work harder and sent to jail if corruption is proved.
11:57 August 22, 2012 by skogsbo
So they are going to waste more money investing if the government avoided paying the same government moms? It's an accounting exercise, nothing more or less. If you organise a function and you need to put everything out to tender, how much admin and time is wasted on this, when the cheapest best option was probably known to all. Plus their are tender phrases like value of for, fit for purpose, not just pick the cheapest. Whilst any government office should waste money, they should employ people costing a fortune, to hunt for those who was a few krona. It's about accepting a balance in the middle like any company does. Many private business accept they might loose say 5% through internal fraud on say personal expenses claims, but it's not worth spending millions to prevent it.

This minister does need the boot though, just to replace her with someone who has actually worked for a living and knows about anything in the real world.
13:45 August 22, 2012 by cogito
skogsbo,

+1 your last sentence. V. few Swedish ministers or politicians have experience of either real work or the real world.
14:38 August 22, 2012 by Borilla
#3 - In other words, stealing from the taxpayers is okay is that your position? Apparently you run your business the same way. Let the employees steal what they want, it is just a cost of doing business. Exactly how much theft and misappropriation is enough and what amount is too much? How much do you take from your employer?
16:22 August 22, 2012 by themoron
themoron says:

China's prime minister Wen Jiabao, regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy states that severe punishment to corrupt politicians should be applied. His foundation is:

"It is terrible to know that our countries have the highest rates of corruption in the world, very close to Nigeria. Our countries do not punished as it should, the corrupt politicians, mainly those of the regime shift and therefore is that there are no senior bureaucrats arrested, which decimates the public coffers. It is clear why this pest (corruption) has become increasingly worse in our countries, since no action is taken to curb it. How someone said quite rightly, in our countries there is no reason not to steal.

In China proven corruption is punished with the death penalty or with life and, of course, the immediate return to coffers of the public stolen values. If the funds are not enough and do not pay the debts for the misappropriation of funds, something is wrong and needs to be changed immediately.

Well, that is in China.
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