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Business & Money

Politician got benefits for son working abroad

Published: 4 Feb 13 16:52 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/45998/20130204/

The Swedish police are looking into whether a Swedish municipal politician committed benefit fraud by paying his sons to be his personal assistants when one of them was studying abroad.

The man is suspected of redirecting about 3 million kronor ($475,000) by stating that his two sons were working as his personal assistants, while one was actually studying in Australia. The other was working as a store manager.

The politician, who uses a wheelchair, runs a personal assistance company. He made payments to his two sons during a period of several years.

The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), the body that makes benefit payments, worked with the Tax Authority (Skatteverket) to compare documents. When the suspected fraud was uncovered, the documents were forwarded to the police, reported the local Söderhamns-Kuriren newspaper.

The Moderate Party politician, who is a substitute member (ersättare) of the steering committee of Söderhamn municipality in northern Sweden, has now taken a time-out.

"Nobody should be judged before there is conclusive evidence," his party colleague Hans Sundgren told Söderhamns-Kuriren.

"But of course the entire story is sad, this kind of stuff makes people hate politicians even more."

The politician himself said he would await the outcome of the police investigation before deciding whether to make his political time out permanent or not.

TT/The Local/at
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17:14 February 4, 2013 by Rey Stockholm
This is misrepresentation, (deception / fraud) pure and simple, why wait until what the police say befor leaving.

Surely the voters will end his career anyway
19:34 February 4, 2013 by johan rebel
What exactly is "sad" about this story? This guy is a crook and belongs in jail, wheelchair and all. His sons should also spend time behind bars.
13:44 February 5, 2013 by Rishonim
The funny things is that he will claim he wasn't aware one of his son was living abroad and the judge will believe him.... Este es un pais de tartamudos
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